Cruel Summer
by EleanorKate
Summary: Chloe and Lucifer are assigned to a series of gruesome murders that move far too close to home. It will get gory and a bit T rated later on but it's a long while yet. Multiple chapters. First attempt at writing Lucifer (be nice :)) SPOILER FREE
1. Chapter 1

Chloe stood by the open window, desperately trying to breathe in this cloying heat.

Closing her eyes for a very brief moment, she allowed her mind to wander to an ice cold glass of wine; watching intently as a droplet of condensation meandered its way down the sheerness of the curve of the...No! Chloe shook her head to dismiss the image. Perhaps a sun shade, a lounger and a good book instead of wine at this time of day and the connotations of the...No! Anywhere, actually - the back yard of the house would do - just not this suffocating station. Yes, safer to think of the back yard with Trixie's lime green paddling pool and a mocktail. Yes, that's better. Stops the old mind wandering, doesn't it?

She carefully fanned her face with a handful of paper that she had spirited from her desk in search of respite from her stuffy, stifling corner. The makeshift fan was nothing amongst the tumult of thick, heavy air that swirled around her. It was like wading through treacle. A swimming pool, not a paddling pool...Caribbean beach...cocktails, not wine...pineapple coconut champagne...Shut up, Decker! Her mouth was almost watering at the prospect and that cold cup of coffee that was sitting congealing on her desk made her stomach turn.

It was only ten o'clock in the morning but the damn building was a furnace already. A low level of conversations, computers with emails pinging and telephones rumbled up from downstairs as she stood at the top of the stairs; even the ramped up whirr of the air conditioning was having little effect. Yes of course Los Angeles had its fair share of sun, but this was utterly beyond contempt for an early June Monday morning.

Her mind began to wander again to that cool liquid sliding down her throat, that first buzz of your body relaxing, the sun sparkling high in the sky, maybe the soothing lap of the waves as they caressed the shore...Her eyes closed, fairly sure nobody could see her. Five minutes, that was all. Five minutes of peace. Let her think of that beach...except...

_It didn't last long._

She did not realise she had company until she heard a scratch of a shoe on the floor and turned to find Lucifer standing little more than an inch or two behind her. "Do not..." she started, enunciating her words as her day dream was rudely interrupted. "Do. Not. Creep. Up. On. Me." How many times has she told him not to? It was almost as though he took pleasure in making her jump out of her skin. No, she thought, he did take a great amount of pleasure for it. There was no 'almost' about it.

"I didn't", Lucifer responded with his usual indignation, feeling a gentle rush of air as she continued to wave the paper in front of her face, loose tickles of her blonde hair brushing his face. "I would rather like to think I surreptitiously arrived. Creeping is such a low brow activity even for me," he concluded. In truth, he had seen her lost in her own thoughts a few minutes before and an introspective detective was one that unnerved him. Particularly after all that had happened these past few months and he was perhaps a touch jumpy around her still, so he had to find out what was occupying her mind.

Instead, Chloe smiled and breathed in what little fresh air was offered to her. The sun glinted from the windows of the building opposite and for a second it blinded her. "It is so hot", she complained. "Hot as He..." She stopped when she realised what she was about to say and she zipped her lips shut quickly and stared out of the window again.

"It's quite alright Detective. You can say the word, you know", Lucifer responded quietly, leaning closer to her ear. "Although I must admit that this entire Fires of Hell business is very much a human invention that there was barbecue weather all day every day. Some of it is quite cold and grey at times" he continued. "Much like our new Lieutenant's soul".

Chloe pushed away a chuckle and turned slightly to regard him. He was still standing far too close but Lucifer had little respect for personal space and simply put, she was just used to it now that it didn't matter any more. He was wearing a navy blue suit, waistcoat, tie, jacket and..."How are you standing there dressed like that in this heat?" she asked, exasperated with him, and herself for that, feeling _that_ warmth pervading off him. Again. She was in a thin white t-shirt and jeans and struggling in all respects.

"Well", he started, licking his lips as he shoved his hands in his pockets, straightening his back and waiting to drop the bomb. "I could, if it's your deepest darkest desire Detective, perform a striptease if you wish, but I can tell you now from an emotional standpoint this entire station would never be the same again". He wanted to say 'neither would you' but refrained. "But, if it pleases you, I'll remove my jacket". He promptly did so, feeling immediately bereft of his usual impeccable attire. She saw him fold the garment over his arm, seeing a flash of the ridiculously expensive label at the neck.

"I just don't want people..." she whispered, holding the paper fan to her chest, "asking questions". She knew who he was. She had known for almost six months now even though she had somehow blindly missed how truthful he had actually been from the moment she met him. He was surprised she was still here. He was surprised he was still here too.

In time though, whilst she still had those moments, she had accepted him for what he was, although there relationship was still more that of colleagues, friends and that cloudy grey middle of something that neither could explain that time had settled them into. Her outrageous paranoia about his identity had lessened too but when everybody else in the station was walking around in shirtsleeves, t shirts and in one case a rather eye-watering example of palm tree board shorts and sliders, he stuck out like a sore thumb.

"I will ensure my behaviour is appropriate, Detective" he replied, still keeping his voice low. "You know I can be an exceptionally well behaved Devil if you ask me to be..."

"Sssshhh", she whispered, hoping her cheeks did not colour, particularly as she could feel his breath on her ear as he loomed over her. Of it all, she could not shake the attraction she tried so desperately to ignore and he had seen right through. He knew it too, and that infuriated her at times as well as he certainly knew which buttons to press.

"Decker!"

The shout of her name caused her to spin around, almost knocking Lucifer out of the way with her shoulder. To a certain degree, she was relieved for the interruption. She even felt guilty for slacking on the job let alone with her partner so close to her person.

Chloe found the new lieutenant standing at the bottom of the stairs. Lieutenant Rogers; a 'temporary' arrangement that had lasted much longer than they thought with his pot belly and utter inability to chase a suspect because of it. He had come from across town to replace Pierce and he was fairly asinine, if not slightly gruff with her. He was holding a file which he presented to her after they made their way down to him, Lucifer following a step behind, assuming where she was going, he was too. "A young girl" Rogers started. "Body found down just off the Little Tujunga Canyon Road, just after the Polo Club. Forensics are already up there."

"Isn't that off our patch?" Chloe responded, casually opening up the file.

Rogers shook his head. "Its a long road and not this part of it". With that he was off back into his office. She watched him go and they walked to her desk where she dumped the paper fan.

"Nothing like being given sufficient information to be able to..." Chloe muttered, looking down into the file to find little more than a typed sheet with a few lines on it. "Look at that" she said, waving the file at him, "a map location and that's that!" Maybe the heat was getting to her more than she thought.

"Oh,_ come on_ Detective" Lucifer replied, putting his jacket back on again and buttoning it up carefully. Musn't crease the Prada. "Nothing like an adventure into the unknown you mean. You know I love a good stiff one to start the day..."

Chloe breathed in and out, biting back a retort as she seized her own jacket from the back of her chair and ignored the shit-eating grin he had on his face as he sat on the edge of her desk; one foot dangling. "Do not refer to them as 'stiffs', Lucifer. It's disrespectful at best. This poor girl probably had a family, boyfriend, girlfriend, parents, maybe even a kid..." There were times when she truly wanted to punch him. Or kiss him. No, punch him. Yes that was it. Punch him. Repeatedly and wipe off that smug grin that was currently decorating his face.

"I was referred to a stiff finger or two of Whiskey to start the day if you must know, Detective". He stood up. "Just to get the old blood flowing again. What did you think I meant?!" His face was a picture of innocence and faux confusion as she grabbed her car keys and deliberately brushed past him, cracking his foot with her leg for good measure. He was taken slightly aback with the sudden assault. "Oh! I am sorry, Detective!" he called after her as he got up. "I never realised you liked it rough!"

Chloe was determined not to get into a discussion, no, a_ lecture,_ regarding appropriateness and behaviour in the workplace again yet. She did not see that the grin was back as she strode towards the stairs again as a few heads turned at his rather loud remark. He followed quickly not seeing the look of despair on her face.

They had no idea what they were about to find.


	2. Chapter 2

**(Hello everyone - thank you for the reviews and follows. Given me incentive to carry on! This one's a bit gory in places...)**

Little Tujunga Canyon Road was not so little and as the car snaked its way up into the hills, Chloe was still silently brewing at the Lieutenant. She deserved more respect than that! She had one of the best clear up rates of them all, partly she would grant down to her partner, but still. Sometimes people infuriated her and her partner had added himself to that list today too.

Lucifer himself had been rather quiet for a change after the inappropriateness of the station as well. Sometimes things just needed to be said, even though nowadays it was mostly to make her smile rather embarrass her, but in his quest for self awareness he did wonder this time if he had overstepped the mark. The gear changes were slightly more aggressive, the tapping on the steering wheel a touch more frenetic and he was never going to mention that poor man who accidentally stepped out in front of her and received a tongue lashing for it.

Chloe pulled the Dodge up behind a marked police car, perched tentatively on the narrow road. As the pair got out a new wave of stifling air engulfed them. It was dryer than ever; what little vegetation there was long dead. A few burned skeletal trees were scattered around but this was really not a hospitable place for man nor beast. The ground was dirt, not soil, discarded plastic bottles cohabited with old beer cans and car tyres, and_ everything_ was scorched.

They saw Ella immediately talking to another officer that Chloe vaguely recognised – Wilson she thought his name was - kneeling close to the body that was concealed under sheeting. The bank down the side of the road was steep and it would have been so easy to slip - or fall for that matter. Before she could speak, Lucifer stepped down in little more than three strides, holding out a hand for her to slide down as gracefully as she could.

"Thank you" she smiled as they walked across.

"Pleasure is all mine" he whispered in response as they walked, the dust and dirt crunching under their feet and the sun staring them in the eyes.

As they approached Ella stood, gently removing a mask from her face.

"What do we have?" Chloe asked, seeing out of the corner of her eye Lucifer squat down to lift up the corner of the sheeting that was covering the body. He did not react to what he found underneath.

Ella cleared her throat. "Well", she began, really not sure where to start as this was certainly not run of the mill. "She was found by a hiker this morning about 7am. He found one of her shoes on the road, was about to throw it down here to stop a car going over it and having an accident. I know model citizen right? He saw the body... the rest is history, yada yada yada...I'd estimate she was about 25, blonde, about 5ft 7, skinny but beyond that..." Ella concluded with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Any identification?" Chloe asked, scanning the ground below them.

Ella shook her head. "No driving license, nothing on her. No purse, no bag. Nada".

"The immediate area has been searched, Detective", Wilson interjected. "Unless it was dropped or taken further up or further down the road, we have Jane Doe. For now at least".

Chloe nodded and folded her arms. "Can I see the body?" Lucifer was still carefully studying what was under the sheet and he whipped his head up. What Chloe saw on his face was an almost indiscernible warning and she would be the first to admit she was confused. She also saw the look that passed between Ella and the other officer.

"Come on!" she said, laughing as she looked to all three of them. "How many dead bodies have I seen?!"

Ella looked down at Lucifer, who stood up as she leant down to carefully lift off the sheet. The body was exposed from head to hip, stripped to the waist utterly free of any clothing. It was the smell that hit them first though. Chloe understood now why Ella and the other officers had been wearing masks. A hand shot to cover her mouth from the gut wrenching, stomach churning odour of rotting, burnt flesh. Lucifer seemed utterly unaffected but copied her for good measure too. _The suit again. Fitting in._

"I'd estimate she had maybe been here two or three days at least, but in this heat, well it has led to decomposition on a whole new scale" Ella offered drawing out the 'o' in whole with wide eyes. "And the exposure of the flesh probably sped that up too, so fairly impossible at the moment to determine time of death, but place of death is likely to be here".

"Do you thihk she might have been thrown from a car?" Chloe asked, first to admit though that she was probably wrong.

"No" Ella responded, shaking her head. "She was placed here."

Chloe blinked repeatedly. The girl was almost unrecognisable. It looked a combined of burns, probably from the sun, and the body had almost been skinned in places, including her face, arms; it was only her hands that were slung over her abdomen that were unmarked. "Any indications of cause of death at all?" Chloe asked tentatively, sliding her hand from her face.

"Impossible at this stage too" Ella replied, shaking her head. "No gunshot residue, no blood spatter that suggests stabbing or any kind of arterial damage, she could have been suffocated but I do know that most of the harm was done post mortem and it was done in this spot".

"Small mercies" she heard Lucifer mutter. He stepped away stalking around to their right, up back near the road.

"What about the rest of the body?" Chloe asked, trying to follow where he had gone, but still with questions in mind. "Any clothes found?"

Again Ella pulled the sheet down further. Apart from a pair of pale blue running shorts and a single white trainer on her right foot any clothes were clearly long gone. It was only then Chloe noticed the legs. In rigor mortis, one leg was bent at the knee almost underneath the body; the other – the one with the shoe on – was stripped of tissue almost to the bone. from hip to ankle, skin, muscle, fat, all torn away. "Post mortem?" she asked pointing down to the leg, grimacing. Her stomach had almost accommodated itself to the smell as a gentle breeze drifted past them but she had never seen a body in that state before. It had been skinned; butchered, torn apart.

Ella nodded. "As Lucifer said...small mercies". She had already discounted it being an animal. The way the flesh was torn was too precise; too _clean._

Chloe shook her head. "I know we've got to be impartial but jeez, poor girl!"

"I know" Ella responded. "Gnarly, right...?"

Chloe considered the body for a moment more wondering who she was until it disappeared under the sheet again. "The hiker?" she asked.

"Nicholas Mantel", Wilson offered, gesturing over suggesting without words they moved away from the body. They took ten or so steps away. "Works for a firm called Edmunds Tech out in Delaware", he said, flipping open a note pad. "Here for work for month, has a day off, decides to explore the area and boom...!"

"Does he check out?" Chloe asked, shielding her eyes from the sun, still watching Lucifer wandering around on the perimeter of the site; half wondering what he was up to.

"He does" Wilson replied, nodding. "He's clean. He's your Mr-Never-Even-Had-A-Traffic-Ticket kind of guy".

"This isn't place people normally hike..."Chloe observed, taking a glance around herself again. There was barely a path along the side of the road and hills and wilderness beckoned beyond.

Wilson nodded his head again. "Stranger to the area. Doesn't know any better, I guess". Chloe acceded that could well be the case as she was handed a business card. "That's him", Wilson said, pointing to the white and blue piece of paper in front of her. "Cell phone on the back. Seemed like an amiable man. He knows we will want to talk to him again".

"Thank you" she replied. Looking up, knowing there was little more they could do for now, she saw Lucifer standing, hands in pockets, head down and clearly studying something on the ground. She walked across as there was little else they could do until Ella worked her magic or they knew who she was.

"Have you found something?" she asked, brushing a palm down his back to catch his attention. Nobody commented on those brief touches any more and all it caused Ella, who had seen the exchange, was a smile as she set about photographing the remains.

"Mmmmm..." Lucifer responded pensively. "That" he continued, pointing down towards the ground. Chloe could not see what he was talking about. It just looked like a pile of sand, dirt and chips of rock. Even though she had no idea what he could see, she was silently pleased that he had left it where it was, whatever it was. How many times she had despaired as he picked up, and contaminated, evidence. Seemed he was finally learning. He could, however, see the confused look on her face.

"Here" he said again, taking her by the elbow so they could both crouch down. "That", Lucifer said again, pointing to a small blue stone. It was clearly a jewel of some kind, something that looked like it had fallen out of its housing. A ring or a pendant perhaps.

"How did you see that?" she whispered. Everyone was too busy to notice their conversation but Chloe still kept her voice low.

"The..." he started, "the sun just caught it. I was lucky". He wasn't lying. Not quite. "She...our friend Jane there, had a fake tan line on her engagement finger", Lucifer offered with a shrug. Her hands were just about the only parts of her not harmed. Clearly he was also noticing more than he would ever let on. "It might be, it might be not".

Chloe took an evidence bag out of her pocket and using it, picked up the stone between her fingertips. "I wonder if it's real?" She stood up without another word and walked back towards Wilson, handing the bag over him with a few words and returned to her partner.

"We need to speak to our hiker" she offered as he helped her back up the bank to the road with a gentle pull. "The sooner, the better".

She was too far gone for a robbery gone wrong and he might be the only key.


	3. Chapter 3

They were barely five minutes drive away from the scene and the usually so verbose Lucifer was not speaking. Sitting in a queue of cars, Chloe decided to take her moment. "So let me think" she began. "You are too quiet. Don't tell me. That girl. You know her. Possibly even one of your list of conquests, am I right?!"

He frowned. It was not the response she was expecting. "Actually no" he replied. "I was just...I was just pondering". He felt as though he could start to trust her. She knew his worst, well perhaps not his _worst_ worst but still there were things she knew that no-one else did, and not just about his face or wings for that matter. "Even when I..." he paused, keeping his voice low as the windows were open and he had been thinking about the girl. "Even when I presided over Hell, even with the worst that Earth had to offer, I never inflicted that on anyone".

It was Chloe's turn to frown. He was becoming more and more human as each day passed, but she could feel his simmering anger. She was not sure what to say. "That girl", she began. "She..." No it was no good. She had no words to try and raise that look from his face. "We will find and punish who did that to her. Yes? You and me?"

He nodded, pressing his lips together in the process but did not really answer.

Chloe pulled the handbrake on the car, clear that they were not going anywhere for a while. She could just about see a tow truck up ahead. "Lucifer?" she asked. Ever since that first time he had showed her his devil face, she had too many questions. "How did you...how did you punish people?" Chloe was not sure whether she would get an answer but it was sheer morbid curiosity that led her there.

He breathed in but was not going to avoid answering. "Sometimes it was...necessary, to inflict physical pain but I found the mind is a powerful thing. The mind can do more harm if it is...interfered with". It sounded so perfunctory to her. _Almost as though he was immune to it. _

Chloe took in his answer and his expression. "Lucifer", she said quietly, resting her hand on his arm. "You know if you ever want to tell me anything, you can. I won't judge you. Whatever it is. I know now."

"I know you won't. You haven't", he replied. All of a sudden his face suddenly brightened. The topic of conversation was clearly over. "Do you have the spawn tonight?"

Chloe shook her head. "Dan has her for a week".

"Would you care to have dinner with me at Lux tonight then?" he asked. It wasn't anything abnormal for him to invite her or indeed for her to cook for him too. It was this strange way of working that they had fallen into. At times, he would talk, at times it was all about a case but slowly and surely Chloe truly felt as though he was realising he was not alone any more.

"I would love to".

"Good" he smiled. "Come up to the Club about 8. Ask for Jacob".

The evening rolled around quickly with little progress on the victim, but as Chloe walked towards Lux she could feel rather than hear the sound of the club. It was as though the sidewalk under her feet was throbbing as it danced with the patrons. A queue snaked its way along the block, around the corner and to the door of Lux. Suppressing a smile and with a swing in her step, Chloe waltzed past the long list of short skirts, high heels and sharp suits. Both bouncers knew her as she approached.

She was not wearing anything particularly special – there was no need – heeled boots, black slacks and a cream blouse and jacket.

_"__She must be for Lucifer" she heard from a woman as she strode past. "I heard he has escorts all the time..."_

_"__She doesn't look like a hooker"._

_"__Do you know what a hooker looks like then Josh!?"_

_"__No I..."_

Chloe bit her tongue and smiled at the two men in front of her. "Miss Decker" one said, "Welcome to Lux".

"Thank you" she smiled as the doors were opened for her and the music continued to thump around her. The noise gradually got louder as she approached the basement door, again opened by another familiar face. "Thank you".

"Pleasure, Miss Decker". Little did she know the staff had been told to treat her like royalty. Doors opened, skipping the queue and everything or anything she wanted to eat or drink and she was not to pay a cent for it. She could sweep through the crowds if she so wished, behaving like Lucifer's Queen, but she didn't. What was the need? It was only her after all.

The barman, who had spotted her, gestured to another man standing at the end of the bar. "Miss Decker, I presume?" the other man said holding out a hand to shake as she approached. "Jacob Stein". She was just how Mr Morningstar described. The man himself was tall and striking in a born to pose on Muscle Beach type of way. He gestured for her to move towards a door at the side of the bar, which he opened to reveal a comfortable looking room. "Mr Morningstar will be with you shortly. Please...sit". With that he was gone away.

Chloe had never seen this part of Lux before. It was only the other side of the bar, but as soon as the door closed it was as though she was a million miles away. It must have been sound proofed; even the beat of the music she had felt through her feet was gone. She did not know whether to sit on one of the couches or linger standing. It was only a small room, room enough to be cosy, with velvet drapes and one wall packed with all kinds of artefacts and books that one day she might like to explore.

Behind her she heard a door click open and she spun to face Lucifer who was standing in the doorway, away to her left. "Come on" he smiled, stepping back so she could pass though. She walked straight into a clearly old fashioned, and cramped, lift. It was lined with brass fittings and it positively sparkled.

"I didn't know that room was there" she said, smiling at him.

"Not many do" Lucifer responded, pressing the 'up' arrow. "I keep it for special company". Chloe raised an eyebrow as the lift doors closed. "No not _that _type of special company Detective. Business associates, the bank". He paused. "People who are my friends rather than those who pretend they are because they want something. Those types".

Chloe just smiled at him as the lift jolted into life and a silent moment or two later, the doors eased open to reveal the familiar sight of his penthouse. She felt his palm go to the base of her spine. "Sit" he said. "I think this calls for a drink".

_Everything calls for a drink with you, Lucifer Morningstar._

She sat on the settee where she had in the past cried, slept, argued, wanted to kiss him and kill him in the same second. A breathe of a breeze caught the back of her neck, turning to see the balcony doors wide open. Not that she objected. It was a stifling night and she regretted not wearing that dress that was hanging on the back of her bedroom door. Catching sight of the lights of Los Angeles below her she had never really appreciated just exactly how high up he was. How appropriate it was that a banished son of God was so close and yet so far to the Heavens. Lucifer must have seen her looking outside.

"Shall we then?" he asked, carrying two glasses of champagne and suggesting they sat outside. "Dinner should be about half an hour".

Half of her had wondered what he was up to with dinner invitations, but equally why not? It was not as though his company was not welcome. She shrugged off her jacket and followed him. Two chocolate brown leather loungers greeted her and she sat intent on swinging her legs up so she could stretch out. A glass safely handed to her he sat too. "A toast?"

Chloe nodded. There was nothing to celebrate, but that had never stopped Lucifer before. "To the Detective" he said, raising his glass. "No, to my Detective, may her tenacity never leave her and may you always be the shining light you are". He raised his glass. Shining lights. The lightbringer. She clinked her glass against his.

"And", she started, "to Lucifer Morningstar, to my Devil, may he always..." she paused, stuck. "May he always be _himself_". The glasses clinked again and they both took a sip.

"Sit back" he said, following her to lay down. "Did you hear any more about our Lady Jane?"

Chloe shook her head. "Ella said all her bloods were clear of drugs, diseases, alcohol, everything. No cause of death, no identity. No, nothing", she sighed. Lucifer nodded. They would have to wait for the hiker it seemed. "So who is Jacob?" Chloe asked, wanting to get away from the subject of work for an evening.

"Just a new recruit" he replied casually. "Manages the club like a proverbial dream. Keeps the staff in line for me" Lucifer offered, taking a healthy mouthful of champagne again. "Excellent with his hands as well".

"Lucifer..." Chloe groaned, drawing his name out in despair. Why she was objecting she never knew. It was not as though he was beholden to anyone, let alone her, and she knew how quickly he could mow through his 'special company'.

"You have a problem Detective?" He loved to provoke her and she could see in his eyes he was only teasing.

"No" Chloe responded flatly, the bubbles of the champagne tickling her nose. "Do you mind if I...?"

"The facilities are all yours", he replied taking her glass off her as she walked away back into the penthouse and to the bathroom.

He heard her walking back a minute or two later and on the table that had been between them her cell beeped. Chloe, however, ignored it and took up her glass again as she sat down. "Should you not be answering that?" Lucifer asked, disconcerted that the ever conscientious and professional Detective Chloe Jane Decker was ignoring her messages.

"If it was Trixie, Dan would have phoned and if it was Dan, Trixie would have phoned too", she replied, taking up her glass again. Again her cell phone beeped, and again and again.

"Impatient little thing. You should get that", Lucifer noted. "Whoever it is sounds like they want you."

Chloe signed. For one night she might just have liked to not be hanging off her phone. She picked it up. Now she may have left it, but taking into account that it was beeping repeatedly, she opened up the messages she had been sent if only to pacify him. "Oh..."

"Oh?" Lucifer replied with a smile as he watched the lights below. It didn't sound like a stressed 'oh', just a curious one.

Chloe held up the cell and a photograph that had just been sent to her. Lucifer took it from her. "A tattoo on Lady Jane, one presumes?", he pronounced. "A little charred, not quite completed, but yes a tattoo".

"Ella thinks it might be initials", she said taking the phone back off him. Lucifer moved and sat next to her, again less than concerned about personal space, and studied the picture in her hand again.

"Well, I suppose it could be" Chloe continued, pulling a face. "Perhaps the top of a T or fancy J?". She pulled a face again, flipping the phone one way and another. "Maybe, could be".

"Nothing else?" he asked. He had skim read the text messages and most of them were 'Chloe? Where are you? Answer your phone!' following by a string or epileptic looking smiley faces from Ella.

Chloe shook her head. "No", she replied, pressing a button to shut it away. She placed it on the small table beside them. "I suppose we'll have to see what our hiker tells us tomorrow, but until then, no more phones!"

"As you wish!" he smiled as he heard the lift ding.

Dinner was early.


	4. Chapter 4

She had left him at around midnight with a kiss on the cheek and now, still with slightly bleary eyes Chloe watched Lucifer stroll across to her desk. He was bearing coffee, a smile and another expensively sharp suit.

"For you" he said, beaming at her and putting the cup down.

"Thank you" she smiled. For some reason, these last few months, their relationship had developed an ease about it. Maybe it was because he was not holding back any more; maybe because she had learned that there was more to life. Maybe because he had also refrained from taking every opportunity to jump her even though one of these days she might just welcome it. There were even times he was less ebullient, less suggestive and part of her missed that side him if she was being truthful. She could, however, see he was making an effort and was grateful for it.

"Any overnight developments?" Lucifer asked as he sat perched on the edge of her desk and raising an eyebrow. She might have taken the question two ways.

Instead, Chloe shook her head as she breathed in the sweet aroma of caffeine. "Nothing. No emails, not notes, no nothing. Nada" she concluded.

"I had a thought about our diamond" he offered. He had meant to mention it last night but he quickly realised that work was off the menu. For once it was him wanting to talk about their day, whereas she was fixed with anything but so he considered his new outlook on life and refrained. "Do you fancy a little trip out?"

Chloe was immediately suspicious as she drew the car up to where Lucifer had told her to go. They stepped out and she hesitated, making sure the car was firmly locked. She knew this end of town and day or night it was not one the police were welcome with its run down factories, graffitti and air of suspicion towards law enforcement bleeding out of the cracks in the pavement. Her face was well known and even though her gun was firmly on her hip, she was sure there were eyes everywhere watching her every step. She saw Lucifer send a quick text message before he paused and she felt him take her hand, just gently.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, concern etched across his face. He knew this part of town too and he knew why she may not feel safe.

"Of course I do", she replied. If there was anyone to be with in the worst, most lawless dump of a neighborhood, it was the very Devil himself. She nodded again in an attempt to reassure him that she actually felt rather safe as long as he was within reaching distance, although she would never quite admit it out loud. She knew a tenth of his capabilities and for now, that was all her emotions were prepared for.

"Follow me then" he smiled, holding out his elbow. Still keeping a very keen on her surroundings, Chloe allowed herself to be led across the road. Despite the fact he had her arm linked in his, Chloe was nervous as he took her down into a narrow alley way lined with garbage bins and, even in daylight, a suffocating darkness.

"Lucifer?" She asked, stopping. He turned, releasing her arm.

"You said you trusted me", he responded, voice low and yes, it was accusatory and he sounded hurt. It was so simple in his eyes. If you say something, you mean it. Simple. If she trusted him, why was she hesitating?

"I do. Very much so", Chloe replied desperately trying to convey in her voice that it was the truth. Trouble was Lucifer Morningstar had a radar for that type of thing and she was nervous.

"Well then", he smiled, gently patting her arm. "Come on".

Ten or so steps further down the rapidly darkening alleyway there was a door. Lucifer knocked twice and there was a metallic thud that reverberated through to door and it popped open with an unearthly and vaguely rusty creak. Lucifer nodded his head towards her and she followed him in.

"Mr Morningstar! How wonderful it is to see you again!". The man that greeted them was short and round. He wore a dark suit and his head was adored with a kippah.

"Saul..." Lucifer started, letting go of Chloe's arm and stretching out a hand to the older man. "Shalom Aleichem"

"Aleichem Shalom" the older man responded, gently pressing his palms together. "And to you" he said, nodding his head at Chloe who smiled back. Clearly they knew each other well. "Now Lucifer you always bring a beautiful woman to see this old man in his dotage and you have excelled today. Tell me what I can do for you?"

Lucifer nodded at Chloe for her to step forward, giving her a gentle shove. She was rather overwhelmed at the diamonds, gold, and everything that sparkled around her. She also tried not to react to the beautiful woman comment. Just exactly how many women has he brought here to charm with diamonds or a necklace, earrings or even a ring? Chloe blinked and dismissed the nagging thought that was knocking repeatedly in her head deciding to taunt her. Who was she kidding? She had seen with her own eyes just how many Lucifer Morningstar could plough through and equally, just how generous he was as well. Maybe it was just that. She decided not to judge him.

"I" Lucifer began, realising that for some reason the cat had got his partner's tongue. "Well, we, were wondering if you could have a look at this". Chloe passed the jeweller the evidence bag. "We were wondering about its origins".

"Hmmmm" he replied, turning the bag over. "Now a blue diamond. Interesting. A very rare thing. If it is, of course, real and it takes a good eye to determine so".

"Could you tell?" Chloe asked, keen for his opinion and suddenly finding her voice.

"Could I tell?" the man laughed, bumping Lucifer with his elbow in jest. "My dear angel, if Solomon Eisen cannot tell a true diamond from an imitation, Solomon Eisen ought to hang up his loupe". He took the small magnification device from his waistcoat pocket and gestured at the pair with it. "I must find some better light. Feel free to browse". He left with a wink to Lucifer that Chloe did not see and departed through another door behind the counter.

Separating they wandered over to a cabinet each on either side of the room. The one Lucifer was perusing held a vast collection of watches, and Chloe had found a rather attractive necklace. Rose gold, morganit and diamond the note next to it said. If she had a spare few thousand throwaway dollars sitting in her bank account and a need to treat herself, then she might just... "That would suit you" Lucifer offered leaning over her shoulder as he had seen her interest. "Simple and elegant" he observed. "Would you like it?"

"No Lucifer" Chloe replied immediately; a laugh in her voice. It was her natural reaction. She didn't need presents like that; no matter how much money he claimed to have. She did not object to the odd time he turned up with as coffee or do-nut for her or picked up the tab at an expensive restaurant but jewellery was a different matter. The bullet necklace, that was sitting underneath the cream blouse she was wearing, was perhaps where she drew the line. If Trixie was here she would be screaming at her to let Lucifer buy it and undoubtedly he and the urchin would tag team her into it, despite her better nature. Chloe turned to him. "Just because I say I like it, doesn't mean you have to buy it for me or that I should have it. It's an enormous waste of a lot of money that could be spend on so many other things. Useful things".

"Well I think if you want express a desire for something you should have it" Lucifer replied. He had tried to understand this human way of depriving yourself of the pleasure of things that were 'a waste of money' or 'had too many calories' but he would never, ever, truly see why.

"Well I don't, so no, I don't want you to buy it for me, now or ever" she insisted. "You know I'm resistant to your mojo Lucifer". Her voice was not harsh by any means but she hoped she made her point as she rested her palm on his abdomen to quieten any thoughts of buying it for her. It was probably a drop in the ocean for him - five thousand dollars she thought she had seen on the tag - but that was not the point even though he looked rather disgruntled at her words. Chloe walked away to the other side of the room, to a cabinet filled with equally as sparkling and expensive wares. "How do you know him?" she asked quietly, careful the jeweller would not hear her.

"I met him a good few years ago. Nothing sordid" he added before she could insinuate something or other. "I was simply making a purchase for myself and we became friendly" Lucifer replied, wandering across and running his fingertips over one of the cabinets. He was still perplexed at her refusal to let him buy the necklace and his inability to persuade her otherwise.

"Oh", Chloe replied, eyes wandering around place. There must have been millions of dollars on display. "When?"

"You are full of questions Detective", he smiled as she bent down to get a proper look at a ruby ring.

"It just seems strange that if it he is legitimate that we have to creep up a back alley to get here" she said, leaning further over and seeing him rest back on the cabinet she was inspecting, hands shoved in his trouser pockets.

"It's just private" he offered simply. "Nothing more nothing less. We can go past the front of the shop on the way back if you don't believe me".

"No, no", she responded, deciding to accept his explanation. She could not say more as the jeweller reappeared. "Hello Mr Eisen" she smiled, being handed back the evidence bag. "What do you think?"

"A good imitation" he began, plaiting his hands together and resting them on his rather rotund belly. "But no. It is a fake, my dear. Color has been added in somewhat of a slapdash manner and whoever has created it, did not do such a sufficient job to get past these eyes of mine. It's a synthetic. Worth very little unfortunately, perhaps twenty, thirty dollars if that".

Chloe signed, folding the bag back into her pocket. "Thank you Mr Eisen."

"Pleasure my dear" he smiled. "Now are you sure I cannot interest you in a piece? I do have a rather exquisite set of drop diamond earrings that I would happily negotiate on the price for Mr Morningstar if he wishes..."

She smiled. "No, thank you, Mr Eisen. We must be going, but thank you again". She almost pulled Lucifer from the shop and back into the alleyway as he said his good byes and they left, the heavy iron door clunking shut behind them. She did not want to have to refuse again in front of a stranger.

"He didn't ask who I was or where the diamond - well the fake - was from" Chloe observed. He had not even asked her name.

"He never asks questions" Lucifer responded as he took her hand again and fed it through his elbow. "Come on, let's get out here".

They made their way quickly to the car, diving in and Chloe sighed before she pressed the ignition. "If it was her engagement ring, or any ring, I hope she wasn't deceived into thinking it was genuine". She paused feeling genuinely upset for its former owner, whoever that may be. "What I am thinking? We don't even know it's connected to her yet. It could be some furious fiancée throwing her ring out of the car window when she realised it was fake. It could have been dropped, a thief thinking he had made the steal of the century."

Lucifer took the bag and the stone from her and held up to the sunlight; not that it was going to give him any answers. "Maybe we are just wrong Detective..." he signed.

Chloe huffed and released the handbrake on the car. "Let's get back". There may have been more developments.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh at last!" Ella exclaimed, seeing Chloe and Lucifer wander into the lab. On the table where photographs, notes, and leaning on it was Dan, studying a list. "Detective Espinoza here had an epiphany when he saw the body" she announced proudly, sorting through the various papers too.

"Well I do sincerely hope he cleaned up after himself" Lucifer responded bluntly, ever keen to take a dig at his partner's ex-husband and the smirk on his face was more than obvious. The other man, rather than respond and get himself into another argument, bit his tongue; only because they were in the company of the two women and he wanted to get back to business too. "Jane Kelly" Dan said, spinning around an open file on the desk deliberately towards Chloe instead. "Or Kelly-Jane if you happened to know her in her professional capacity. Rap sheet...Mug shots...all there."

Lucifer glanced down and over Chloe's shoulder. He was almost leaning on her back until she nudged him with her elbow and he stepped an inch away. A mug shot of a generically typical blonde started back at him. "Shoplifting, soliciting, soliciting, theft, more shoplifting, fraud, assault, even more soliciting. Busy young lady", Lucifer noted. He saw the dates and so did she.

"But the last conviction was nearly 3 years ago" Chloe stated, running her fingertip down another list.

"The tattoo is on her papers" Dan noted. It was that that triggered a dim and distant memory. "She witnessed Robbie Golden's murder. Remember it?" Dan asked his ex-wife. It was a case that marred his early career and the outcome had left him infuriated on the one hand and questioning his own abilities on the other.

Chloe nodded. "Of course", she responded. She remembered Dan coming home in a fury at his case being blown to bits by the sudden change of story. She remembered it particularly as it had been Trixie's first day at school. "The trial fell apart because she lied on the stand. Golden's family involved with it then?" she mused. "I mean, I suppose it's a possible. They are hardly angels" Chloe offered. "I would imagine they might have taken an interest in her".

"Yeah, but..." Dan started, sliding the file back towards himself. "I thought that but they are all two bit thieves with a side of drug dealing. But I suppose your son is killed, murdered in cold blood whilst he's walking his kid to school and then the person who is charged gets off because _she" _he emphasised pointing at one of the mug shots_, _"lied".

Chloe nodded carefully.

"This was clinical Chloe" Ella continued pulling out some further photographs. The group was greeted some rather graphic pictures of the young girl's limbs. "The post mortem is awesome. Clean, sheer cuts on the legs. It was almost like they were skinning a carcass. Like they had _time" _Ella noted, almost unable to contain her excitement and fascination_._ "It was almost as though they knew where exactly to cut, where to peel for prime meat..."

"Yeah, thanks Ella" Chloe responded flatly. The last thing she wanted on her plate – so to speak – was a trade in human flesh or at worse cannibals. "What was the DNA on the stone?"

"Not back yet" Ella responded, still poring over the photographs. "Expected in the next hour or so".

"We still have no clue how she ended up in the hills though", Dan observed, straightening up and stretching his neck. "It's hardly hospitable up there".

"I would have thought it was obvious, Daniel" Lucifer chipped in.

"Go on then, smart ass" the other man replied as he folded his arms, challenging Lucifer. Ella, still buried in the post mortem chose not to notice. Chloe, however, if they had been in any other place than work might have just had a word or three with the two men. Honestly, children they were.

"Detective do I really have to explain about the oldest profession in the book?" Lucifer both eyebrows raised and clearly in a provoking mood.

Chloe shook her head at the posturing. "Yes, thank you" she responded abruptly. "Thank you both of you. It still puzzles me there were no convictions for 3 years?"

"Living away?" Dan observed. "Actually on the straight and narrow?"

"It could be anything. Maybe she was trying her best" Chloe responded picking up one of the mug shots. "If that stone is hers and if she thought it was real there might be a fiancé out there that was _actually_ worth fighting for." She didn't intend to be sounding utterly jaded but both men looked at each other with an imperceptible agreement (for a change).

"Are you saying us men are not worth fighting for Detective?" Lucifer responded first, folding his arms across himself and determined to provoke a reaction. Her ex-husband was standing across the table, in very much the same pose.

"No I am not" she replied, speaking slowly as though he was a child and not sure why he was lumping himself in the 'us men' category. "I am trying to think of anything – anyone - that could help us".

"And we could be reaching too far with the stone Chlo" Dan warned.

"I know but still at least we know who she is now. Any family?" she asked. That would be the next port of call.

"Parents long gone. Two sisters" Dan replied. "One reported her missing 4 months ago in Burbank. The other one is out in New Jersey"

"4 months?! So where's she been?", Chloe asked exasperated. "Does the sister know?"

"She does now I told her. She's expecting us tomorrow".

Chloe nodded carefully. She always detested these conversations, being the bearing of the most devastating news that any soul on this earth could offer. She could only imagine if it was her, or Trixie or Dan or even when it came to it, if something happened to Lucifer. No, she knew how she would react. "Has the hiker turned up?" she asked, dragging herself from negative thoughts. She had gone to the jewellers willingly with Lucifer first thing as the hiker had postponed but at least now he had deigned to turn up.

"He's in interview three" Dan replied. "I left him just for you". He was rewarded with a smile.

Barely ten minutes into the interview Chloe quickly realised she was getting absolutely nowhere. She had left him there and gently shut the door behind her. Dan and Lucifer had been in the ante room and could see and hear that the hiker knew so very little or was deliberately play-acting or being obtuse.

"Nothing?" Dan asked.

Chloe shook her head. "I believe him when he just says he stumbled on the body. I mean look at him" she said as the three turned back to the one way mirror. "He couldn't kill a fly". Indeed, the man was sitting, slumped in a chair looking thoroughly shell-shocked. Dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and hair that required a comb. Chloe had noticed his hands shaking as he incessantly picked at the cuticles of his nails. He certainly didn't have the vibe of 'ruthless killer' and something about him – her instincts – told her 'no, not this time'.

"Might I suggest I step in there, Detective?" Lucifer asked. It was directed to Chloe alone.

"No" Dan interrupted before Chloe could answer. "I don't think that would be appropriate". The man already seemed to be in a highly emotional state and the last thing they needed was him being intimidated. Dan already thought Lucifer to be a loose cannon and they did not want or need this.

"I think you should" Chloe replied, eyes flashing between the two of them. "Or at least come back in with me". Sometimes, knowing what she knew, it could be an advantage that Lucifer well and truly had over Dan. She rated Dan as a police officer, but when you can get a confession that way? It was a strange boundary to cross that she could use Lucifer's 'skills' to elicit information or a confession. How moral of that was her though? How ethical to scare someone into a declaration of guilt? Was he scaring them or just just finding a way to uncover their deepest secrets? Chloe truly did not know. Her clear up rate had gone through the roof since they were partners though and that was perhaps more tempting. Equally though, knowing what she knew, she knew how to control him too if things got out of hand.

"Come on" she said. Lucifer felt her hand touch his, just the slightest whisper, and he followed them out. She didn't see the raised middle finger to Dan nor the look of fury that followed it either.

A minute later, Chloe slid into the seat opposite the hiker. Lucifer lingered, back against the wall just to her right leaning on it training his eyes on the man."This is my colleague, Mr Morningstar" she said, gestuting towards him.

"Pleasure to meet you Sir" the man hesitantly replied with a nervous nod. "Detective may I ask for a glass of water? I am afraid I have been in a police station before and it makes me rather..." He swallowed, flashing another glance back at Lucifer who was now standing impassive.

"It's quite alright", Chloe responded getting up. She took a step to Lucifer and faced him. He raised an eyebrow almost to say 'now'? Instead he saw a slight shake of the head and Chloe leave.

A minute or two she returned with a plastic cup which she placed on the table. "Mr Mantel", she started.

"Please, call me Nick" he responded, taking a sip of water. "I know I'm not very much help to you Detectives. That poor girl...I was having terrible nightmares last night..." He did look as though he hadn't slept.

"Nick" Chloe started and he looked up. "Any slightest thing you can remember, it will help". The man nodded repeatedly.

"I truly wish I could tell you that I saw something, saw a car being driven off, but I really can't..." He drifted off again.

'One last try' Chloe thought to herself. She got up and nodded to her partner who took her seat instead; shifting to get comfortable. He put his arms on the table; hands clasped raising chin slightly in the air. "Mr Mantel", he began, "Nick..."

The man looked up. All Chloe could see was the look of slight horror on his face, swallowing nervously. Before Lucifer could say anything more the man interrupted him. "All I want to do is go home and see my daughter. She only six months old!" he cried. "I Just want to see her!" he exclaimed before crumbling into a heap, face down on the table. "I saw nothing, you have to beleive me!" Lucifer tutted before he felt Chloe's hand rest on his arm.

"Mr Mantel, thank you. Would you mind if we kept hold of your number just incase?" she asked.

"No" he responded. "I don't mind at all."

After Chloe had shown him out, she returned to the interview room where, strangely, Lucifer had stayed. He was prowling from wall to wall far away from the door, arms folded across his body and wearing a frown. "Lucifer?" Chloe asked quietly. Despite knowing what she knew, the aura that he gave off did unnerve her. She walked across the room and stood in front of him to stop him wearing a ridge in the floor. He stopped and looked up at the blockage in his path.

"I didn't do anything" he offered. "I didn't actually...you know" he said waving a hand vaguely in front of his face. She took a step forward and ran her hand from her elbow to his wrist and Lucifer felt his heart slow. "I didn't say a word...he just collapsed"

"Maybe that's just him" Chloe said, trying to reassure him. "You saw the way he was with me. Like I said I doubt he could squash a fly". He was still frowning. She smiled stepping closer to him so the materials of his shirt and his jacket were touching. She saw him smile back at her, that slightly wonderous smile that she had started to notice when he realised that she _knew_ and she was _still here_. She kept her voice low. "Your mojo hasn't stopped working you know."

He ducked his head, trying to ignore the fact she was standing an inch from him, blue eyes trying to reassure him. She was starting to read him now. That or he was letting her; one of the two.

Chloe was just about to speak again when the door burst open. "Oh!" Ella exclaimed clearly thinking the two were having a moment. Maybe they were. She was about to turn and go when Chloe cleared her throat and walked towards her. "Ella, its's fine, what is it?"

"Yes, Miss Lopez" Lucifer followed straightening his shoulders and striding over . "Do tell us what caused you to practically take the door from its hinges?"

Ella didn't really know how to take that question. He certainly wasn't his usual smooth self and there was a tone to his voice that she didn't like. "I erm..." she started, glancing between the two again. "I've got the results from the stone".

"Go on" Chloe responded hoping it was good news.

Ella just smiled and passed her a piece of paper.

It was a match. The stone and the girl. It was a match.


	6. Chapter 6

To her surprise bearing in mind she was always early for work, Lucifer had clearly arrived before her. He usually strolled when the mood took him but he was there, sitting at her desk reading something or other that actually looked like a police file. In fact, as she got closer, she could see it was the Kelly investigation and he seemed to be reading up. It still surprised her that he was slowly taking steps to be less of the playboy (at least in her presence) and be more responsible. She was sure it was not an act either.

It was another baking hot day too and, that aside, for a moment, Chloe had wondered if she was hallucinating from the heat. He saw her confused look. "Good morning to you Detective!" Lucifer exclaimed; a wide grin on his face.

"Good morning", she replied hesitantly as he stood up, pulling the chair out so she could sit down. She was immediately suspicious, eyes following him as he sat again, on the opposite side of her desk. "To what do I owe the pleasure before ten o'clock?" she asked, sarcasm heavy in her voice as she threw her car keys across the desk.

He was about to answer when the Lieutenant arrived behind him, not interested in anything more than interrupting their conversation. Lucifer saw Chloe's eyes rise and folder pass over his shoulder. "Another one Decker. Glenoaks Boulevard. Back of the 7 – Eleven..."

"Connected?" Chloe asked, opening up the file, scanning over the information there. It was a slight improvement on last time.

"Very possibly, but as you were late in today, I sent Espinoza. I'd suggest you hurry along there". He was blunt again. He was starting to sound like Pierce.

"I wasn't..." she started as Rogers turned heal. "Late". Chloe sighed loudly, seconds before getting up and scooping up her car keys from their resting place underneath her monitor. "Hurry along?" she repeated. "Patronising little..."

"Now, now Detective" Lucifer interrupted as he followed her out, striding away from him with speed. "You know you being angry gets me riled in every wrong way possible..."

By the time they had made it to Glenoaks Dan and a handful of uniformed officers had already made short work of the scene. It was much the same as Chloe had described from the other girl; only a few minutes drive closer to town yet with remarkable similarities. He didn't want to think they had a serial killer on their hands, but...As he wrote a few notes, behind him he heard the scrape of wheels on the tarmac of the forecourt, followed by two doors slamming. Dan folded up his notepad and turned to see Chloe and her pet club owner walk purposely across.

"Hey, Dan" Chloe smiled. "What do we have?"

"I'd say almost certainly connected or a copy cat", Dan responded. Either was a possibility. "Whoever did it might have been interrupted though. It's a mess back there. Not clean like our other girl, but there are similarities. The face is stripped for a start, lower legs the same, if not worse..." In fact, it was too similar.

"Identification?" she asked. They had been lucky with Jane Kelly otherwise she might be another faceless - literally - body in a crowd of too many unidentified missing.

Dan shook his head. "Nothing formal that we've found so far except she had a necklace on with her name, or at least I assume its her name for now". He showed her a photograph on his cell phone. The simple gold chain, leaning against skin splattered with blood, read _'Lizzie'_

"Nothing else?" Chloe asked, seeing some activity behind him. Dan was about to answer in the negative when he heard his name called.

"Well?" Chloe asked as she watched Dan walk away, taking a step or two back to stand closer to Lucifer.

"Well what Detective?" Lucifer asked, curious at her question.

"No spying any fake blue diamonds, other little clues that us mortals would miss in a heartbeat?" she whispered, casting a glance around to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation. She saw a rather strange smile make its way across his face.

"I am not Clark Kent, Detective" he whispered leaning close to her sounding slightly offended, even if it was a play act. "I might have some...abilities for certain aspects of my life you are yet to sample, but I can assure you microscopic vision I do not quite yet possess".

"You are such a disappointment to me" Chloe teased, deliberately avoiding what he really meant and hiding a smile. "I really thought I could have expected more from my partner than that".

He turned to face her. "Am I a disappointment to you? Really, Detective?" Was she flirting with him? He certainly wasn't being serious and was about to push the point when his nemesis returned to their side. "Yes, what is it Detective Douche?" His voice was terse.

"She was carrying a driver's license" he said, holding out an evidence bag towards Chloe, ignoring the other man.

Chloe took it from him. "Elizabeth Marie Everett" she noted. "42 years of age. Address in Long Beach. She's quite a way from home..."

"I've called it in to see if she has form. Are you going to see the Kelly family?" Dan asked.

Chloe nodded, flipping over the license to read the back. "I suppose we'll add the Everetts to it as well!"

"Well" Dan started. "I can handle this here. You may as well go over there to speak to them". She memorised the Long Beach address before she handed the license back to him. They were about to leave when Dan's cell phone rang. He raised a hand for Chloe to wait. It seemed to her that it was clearly something relevant. She stood aimlessly for a second, until she caught sight of Lucifer's face out of the corner of her eye. He was smiling at her,_ devilishly_. That smile that was even more self-satisfied than normal, even for him. "What?" she whispered even though it sounded as though she spat at him.

"I'm just rather amused that you think of me as Superman. In fact", he continued. "It has truly tickled me. At least I know where your allegiances may lie if he and I ever got into a fist fight".

"I never said that!" she said, dragging him by the elbow away. "I don't know what you can and can't do!"

"Want to find out?" he asked, leaning closer and closer to her. She could almost feel him breathing. Chloe went red. Not here! How she wished in all his years on this earth and beyond that he had developed a filter. Her ability to ignore his comments and looks was starting to fade away. Nobody was around them but if anyone did look they would find him, hands in trouser pockets, wearing a smug smile and her looking like she wanted the ground to swallow her up. Dan was making the choice to ignore Lucifer's behaviour as much as he could and as long as it didn't affect a case, but he was starting to wonder if Chloe was being dragged under with him.

"You will have to excuse me..You know, work to do..." Dan began sarcastically after walking back up to them and seeing Chloe clear her throat. "She's got one count of prostitution about 6 months ago and a history of alcoholism. Separated from a Jon Everett. Three kids living with the father at the address on the driver's license".

"Reported missing?" Chloe asked. He simply shook his head in return. "Thanks Dan" she started. "We'll go and see the Kelly family and then the husband".

Dan just nodded. "Let me know".

The visit to the Kelly family elicited very little. Fractured relationships, arguments and no sign that they knew she might be engaged or had a man or woman in her life that might explain the stone. No sign they knew of her criminal record either. So much for sisters!

Slightly defeated at the lack of well, anything, to help it had been somewhat of a silent ride to Long Beach too and they pulled up at the vast, two story property. It was painted sunshine yellow; the lawns were verdant green and had been mown in perfect lines. "Nice house" Chloe commented before they got out. "Must have a bit of money".

Once the introductions were over and the news broken, the response that Chloe got was not quite what she expected.

"I am afraid Detectives that I have been waiting for this day to arrive. I've been expecting to have this conversation for years", the husband responded with a deep sigh, wringing his hands together.

"How so?" Chloe asked, intrigue peaking as she saw Lucifer wander away to a wall that was littered with family photographs. Sometimes he saw things in greater detail than her. Literally and figuratively.

"Lizzie and I" Jon started with a heavy tired tone. "Well we have not been the best of companions for a while, we have separated before. The way she chooses to live her life, alcohol, well, it has broken us several times, but for the kids, well, we thought we should try and try again. Get her some medical help" he explained. "It would work for a few weeks, months then bam! We even went to a retreat thinking it might help us, you know talk to each other but the moment we came back, she packed her bags, left me, left the kids".

"Where was she having treatment?" Chloe asked, flipping open her note pad.

"AA, mostly" he replied. "We couldn't afford much more these last few years". He saw Chloe's eyes scan the interior of the house. "I know that doesn't tally with the house, but I inherited it from my father so we have no mortgage. It costs a fortune in upkeep that sometimes other things have to slide. Medical insurance being one".

"What was this retreat called?" she asked. You never know.

"Serenity" Jon laughed shaking his head too. "The irony of it right? It was out by Lake Casitas. Cost a fortune for what?"

"And immediately she just went?" Chloe continued, scribbling down notes and thoughts as she went on.

He nodded. "But she has gone before. A few weeks here and there, always ended up with her mother in Vegas and she always came back. She said she was going there again. I had no reason to think otherwise".

"How old are the children?" Chloe asked. She could see even more photographs scattered about above the fireplace.

"16, 11 and just about to turn 9. How am I going to tell them? When they were little I could just tell them that Mom had gone away to work because she always came back, but now?" He shook his head desperately, rubbing his eyes with his fingertips.

"Did you not think to report her missing?" Lucifer asked as he spun around. A perceptive question at last. "Actually speak to your mother in law?" His tone was terse.

Jon looked up at the other man, who had been silent so far and shook his head. "Jean and I, we don't get on. She never wanted me married to Lizzie. Thought she could do better and I think I was..." He struggled for the word. "I think I was so used to her flitting in and out of here that I just thought she would come back".

"Mr Everett we are going to have to ask you come and formally identify your wife's body" Chloe said, seeing him nod a 'yes' in return before she decided enough was enough for now.

Back out in the car, Chloe slumped in her seat.

"Detective?" Lucifer questioned. He'd expected that they'd been speeding off back to the station but for some reason she was just sitting, not making any effort whatsoever to even turn on the ignition.

"I'm sorry, Lucifer, nothing" she replied, checking the mirrors ready to drive off in a haste that even Lucifer did not miss.

"Detective?" he repeated, putting a hand on hers that was lying on the steering wheel. "You are going to have to get the engine fired up if we are going anywhere before you do that". She relaxed away and sighed again.

"His two youngest. Trixie's age. Can you imagine being told your mother is dead, that someone murdered her when you are so young? How do you even process that?" she said, her hands slumping from the steering wheel.

"You are getting soft Detective"

"Maybe I am" she mused. "If I go, where does Trixie end up? With Dan and Ella? With my _mother_?"

"You know I'll look after her" Lucifer replied. Chloe just looked at him confused. "I'll look after the spawn. Financially, a place to stay, anything you might have wanted for her I can provide."

"She's not your responsibility Lucifer. She isn't your child", she replied, even though she knew money was no object to him.

"I know that, but you know she is...fond...of me and I well, I do say I have formed somewhat of an attachment to the little delinquent" he admitted. "And well if you think of it this way, I can be around for her for far longer than Detective Douche can be too".

Chloe ducked her head. He was speaking the truth after all. "Thank you Lucifer", she smiled. He felt her hand touch his cheek to turn his head around. He received a gentle kiss to the cheek.

"I wonder", he started, the imprint of her lips still lingering on his skin. "Dinner again? I know it;s a school night but your offspring can come too. I am sure I can cater for her as well and I do have wi-fi and age appropriate TV channels." Lucifer responded.

"Alright" Chloe laughed. A minor part of her thought about saying no until her mouth made the decision for her. "About six?"


	7. Chapter 7

**_(Apologies for anyone that got a double posting of Chapter 6 - serves me right for saving them with a similiar name - should be corrected now)_ **

It had been a pleasant but somewhat perturbing evening for Lucifer. The dinner was planned around Trixie's time home from school, Trixie's homework and Trixie's bedtime. He had watched Chloe move with ease around the penthouse tending to her daughter's needs, not entirely sure what he was feeling at the sight unfolding before him. This caring for another human being seemed rather alien to him. Surely the child was capable of putting her own food on her plate? Surely she could wash her own dishes that Chloe had insisted she do before she helped her with her homework? He had sat, with them and almost separately, for most of the evening simply _observing. _

All of his relationships were dysfunctional in some form and he was slowly realising it. Time and time again, the playboy Lucifer had reared its head but there was something about her that was grounding him, changing him. He was not the devil he used to be and it excited and unnerved him in equal measure. Back years ago, when he realised that he was becoming mortal it and been such a rush to face danger head on, but with the spawn running around his feet today he realised that his partner did all of that with no divine intervention, or husband, at her side.

They had sat in front of the vast television that almost engulfed the wall, Chloe occasionnally checking over to the urchin asking questions about school, homework, what she was doing tomorrow. For the most part Lucifer still kept silent and pretended to be interested in the game. What pleasure these humans got from throwing a sack of leather around a field he would never know. He observed from afar tonight in this introspective mood that had decided to suddenly descend on him. This strange not quite involved, yet deeply involved relationship he had with the Detective had started to vex him recently. Well perhaps vex him more than it normally did. She had invited him into her life, her care for her child, to trust him with her child and she was sitting next to him as though this was normal.

To his side Chloe suddenly yawned. He had only caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye as he tried to watch her without her knowing. "If you want to go home..." he offered. He might slip down to the club and have a drink or two. See if that stopping his rattling nerves, slip back into old habits and see if they drown the new.

"I don't" Chloe muttered.

"Well if you want to have nap then. I am sure I can keep the urchin out of trouble for half an hour" he offered, looking over at her daughter who was writing, writing and writing.

"You mean Trixie can keep you out of trouble?" Chloe asked with a laugh in her voice.

"That I doubt" he said, before he stood up and clapped his hands together, striding across to the girl and crooking his arm so she could take it up. "Right come along young urchin, you and I are going down to Lux for a drink and a dance whilst your Mum snores..."

"Lucifer!" Chloe replied, face creasing into a very annoyed Detective. There it was - him being utterly irresponsible again. A child in a nightclub full of alcohol and who knows what drugs!

"No Lucifer," Trixie contined primly. "I'm not 21 yet..." She had learned from Chloe's 'little talk' with her when she had found her with Maze when she had escape from Nana and that awful dress.

"And I am not being serious" he responded smiling down at the pair of them. "Relax..." he breathed to Chloe who didn't know whether to smile back or scowl. "Just go and nap. Just be careful on the field wench. My eardrums have not recovered from the last time". For his pains he received a kick to the back of the thigh from Chloe's place on the settee and a 'shut up'. There were little ears in this room and she did not need to know, or report to her ex-husband that she had spent the night here before, however innocent it transpired to be. She was too quick for him to grab her ankle.

"Now now detective. None of that. Your offspring is present, who is might I say rather well trained" he commented as he went to sit back down, game over.

"My daughter isn't a pet" she replied, the end of her word dissolving into a yawn and Chloe hid behind her hands. "I'm sorry Lucifer".

"Nap. Do it. Now" he commanded and minutes later she was asleep; Lucifer having turned his attentions to the television and tried to engage with the game, watching the clock tick down each and every tortorous minute.

A small voice broke the silence. "Lucifer?"

"Yes spawn?" he said, grateful - sort of - for the distraction from this tedious 'sport'. He had certainly not expected to spend tonight with a homework bearing child, a ball game and a sleeping detective.

"I'm stuck", Trixie complained.

"What to? The chair?" he asked nonchalently, taking a sip of whiskey.

"No silly. This question. Number 6", she said, pushing the question sheet across the table. Lucifer took it as his cue that he really ought to be getting up and seeing if he could at least attempt to help her with her problem. With her mother out like a light he was the only option it seems. The devil does not do homework. "Let me see". He peered over her shoulder at the question. "How do you not know that urchin? Henry the Eighth". Carefully Trixie wrote the answer down. "Strange man that he was" Lucifer continued. "Treated women like dirt and his personal hygiene was questionable to say the least..."

"You're silly" she laughed.

"I'd change that one to George Washington too" he said, tapping the paper in front of her before he strolled back to his seat.

"Were you good at history at school?" Trixie asked. He seemed to know a lot about it. Maybe next time she had history homework she could ask Lucifer instead of Mom or Dad.

"Middling" he replied, settling down again. Homework, really?

"Can I watch the game now?", she asked, successfully packing away her pens and pencils.

Lucifer just shrugged his shoulders and the urchin settled underneath his arm, her head on his chest. At first he was hesitant, glancing over at the Detective wondering if she minded her child cuddling up to him, knowing who he was. Before he could think further on this quandry his cell on the arm of the chair buzzed and a video call popped up.

"Miss Lopez", Lucifer whispered trying not to wake Chloe up.

"Are you alright?" Ella replied, careful that he sounded and looked rather suspicious.

"Perfectly fine. I'm trying not to wake the Detective" Lucifer continued keeping his voice even lower.

"Oh?" Ella responded, voice high and all together too interested in his arrangements, it seemed.

"No, Miss Lopez, not like that" he replied, shaking his head to emphasise the point.

"Shame" she replied, not realising she had verbalised what was going on in her head even though she could hear the warning in his voice.

"What do you desire Miss Lopez?" he asked, wanting to move this conversation firmly away from the Detective, her offspring who was leaning on his chest and the Detective herself who was fast asleep barely a few feet away from him. Ella produced an evidence bag and waved it in front of the camera. "Another blue diamond?" Lucifer continued to whisper.

"Mmmmm" Ella responded, "but you will never, never, ever guess where it was found".

"Go on". He was suspicious too. Miss Lopez seemed rather excited about the whole matter and he wanted her to press on.

"In Lizzie Everett's stomach" Ella announced proudly, still waving the stone and bag around. "Along with a high as hell whole lotta alcohol in her system too. 2.4%"

"2.4%?" Lucifer asked. "That doesn't..."

"Its three times over the state BAC, Lucifer", Ella replied flatly and he took it as a cue to shut up. "Believe me Lucifer if you had a 2.4% blood alcohol concentration you'd be flat on your back". Ella replied, voice crackling for a second as she moved around the laboratory and seemingly losing a little signal. She did know he could sink his fair share of whiskey or whatever else might have been put in front of him, but surely even he had limits? "When Chloe wakes up, just let her know".

Lucifer sighed. "Thank you. I will".

As Ella disapapeared from sight, barely a barely a second later, Chloe's phone buzzed in her pocket and it woke her up. In truth she was very close to waking anyway and she sat up, registering vaguely the other two beside her who seemed rather cosy, even though Lucifer was wearing a rather confused face. "Dan?" Her voice was slow, quiet.

"Hey Chlo. Did I wake you up?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, no", she responded, rubbing her eyes. "What's up?"

"I spoke to the Kelly sister again" he stated. "The coroner has told them they are free to have the funeral. Then I spoke to the one in New Jersey. She remembered something. Years ago, apparently Kelly had a..."

"Fiancee?" Chloe jumped in.

"She actually used the word 'pimp'", Dan replied, not realising that Trixie could well and truly hear him and having no idea whatsover that, now, Lucifer was listening in too. "Apparently she got in touch with the other sister years ago asking for money. The sister refused and since then she hasn't heard a word from her. I'll text you his details".

A second later her cell beeped. "Joe Ferguson" Chloe mused, picking up the text before putting the phone back to her ear. "So this sister thinks he might have something to do with it?" she asked, hearing him agree that it might be worth a try. That anything was worth a try. "Okay, we can check in him out in the morning. thank you, Dan".

"Pleasure" He hesitated and she heard a hitch in his speech.

"Dan?" she asked, wondering for a moment what exactly was worrying him and whether she should take the call to a more private corner.

"I was thinking" he started, hesitating but deciding to plunge in. "On Saturday I was going to take Trixie to the fair. I er..." he paused. It felt like he was asking her on date. "I was wondering if you could come with us". He had bought three tickets on some random hope that they might have some time as far as this 'family' would take them. To her side she saw Lucifer raise an eyebrow. Chloe had no idea if Dan could tell she was not at home and she almost looked to her dinner companion for permission.

"Please Mommy?" Trixie asked, interjected scrabbling over to Chloe's side before Lucifer could open his mouth. Why was she hesitating? It was probably the first time in a long time that they had behaved like a family, and what was that vow they made to each other to be adults for their daughter's sake?

"Yes", she replied,seeing Lucifer nod. "We can go" she responded, before ending the call with a 'we can talk about it tomorrow'. "Baby, go and get your coat".

"Mom! Do we have to!" Trixie protested scooting back over to Lucifer who was watching and listening with interest. Chloe just gave her daugther that look that had been perfected over the years letting the girl know silently that if she did not comply, she was in a whole wealth of trouble.

The youngster ran off. "Do you want me to drive you back?" Lucifer asked, scrabbling out of his seat as she had already picked up her bag and was half way across the room.

"No Lucifer, its fine" she responded, stretching her neck as she pressed the button for the lift. She felt better after her nap. "I'm fine to drive now".

Lucifer nodded, gently taking up the fingers of her left hand. "Tonight has been..." He struggled for the world. "I have really enjoyed tonight, Detective".

"Really?" she responded. She had wondered if it was all too boring and mundane for him and whilst she wanted to believe him, surely he would have preferred being downstairs with the music, noise, alcohol, women...

"Yes" he replied. "I don't lie remember". A lightness settled in her heart at his words as leant down to kiss her on the cheek in an attempt to make her realise that had truly meant it. Instead she moved, and he caught just the edge of her lips. Chloe put it down to an accident although she did not feel embarassment rise. She as about to say 'goodnight' when she felt Trixie lean against her side.

"Come on Mom!" she exclaimed, still playfully pushing at her hip. "You've got to be up for work at 7!"

Chloe smiled and sighed. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow then" she said, as she almost fell over her own feet as Trixie propelled her into the lift.

Lucifer just nodded as the doors closed on them. He shoved his hands into his pockets. Yes, he'd nip down to the Club for a drink or two and see where the rest of the night led. It might stop these incessant, invasive thoughts in his head if he could amuse himself with a Brittany. Tonight had given him food for thought yet tomorrow was another day. The Detective was also a completely different woman to all of those downstairs and it made him think. As he picked up his jacket and waited for the lift to return, another thought struck him.

"DAMN". The word bounced off the walls. He hadn't told her about his call with Ella. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and send a long winded text.

Another thing to talk about in the morning it seemed.


	8. Chapter 8

She had been studying the two photographs of Kelly and Lizzie trying to map out any connection in her mind that they might have had with each other. Apart from the one thing she now knew about, that was. _The diamonds._ Well the fake one and the other one that she didn't quite know the provenance of just yet._  
_

Chloe pursed her lips, lost in her own thoughts and not hearing the door to the meeting room open with a creak. Dan slipped into a seat opposite her but it was almost as though she barely noticed his presence.

"Chlo?" he asked after a few seconds of studying her face. "Hey" he said with a smile, clicking his fingers in front of her.

Her head shot up. "Sorry" she pleaded. "I was just trying to piece it all together".

"Well" Dan began before he paused and sat back in his seat. "I can't see anything beyond the fact their injuries were incredibly similar. Both had been missing for a while but how many people in LA go missing every year? Hundreds, thousands? No family or friend connections, no work place connections. Different parts of town. Causes of death aren't the same...We could still have a copycat."

Chloe sat back in her chair too. That was true. The deaths were in the public domain after all. "Lucifer sent me this last night. I've told Rogers about it".

She pushed her cell over to her ex-husband to read the long text. It ended with a devil emoji swiftly followed by a kissy face. "Really Chlo?" he frowned pushing the cell back to her having read the message. "Devil emojis and blowing kisses to you? It's hardly professional". He already had his suspicions about their relationship but the flashy club owner had a different woman, or indeed man for that, hanging off him day in and day out and the only people that could get hurt were Chloe and their daughter.

"Yeah, well" she replied, taking a deep breath wanting to get as far away from that subject as she could as she knew it would only descend into another argument about her safety and his mistrust of her partner. She just saw it as a sign of Lucifer's affection and insanity rolled into one. To be truthful if he stopped communicating in emojis she might miss the frustrating conundrum of working out what he actually meant. She was also just grateful he never mentioned her spending the evening with him in that text. "It's more important that both of these women had a stone in their possession". Of course that wasn't normal and it must, must mean something. Trouble was, Chloe had no idea what it was.

"So where **is** our consultant then?" Dan asked, noting the other man was conspicuous by his absence. He had scanned the room long before to find Chloe in there on her own, head down and deep in thought.

"He just said he had an errand to run", Chloe replied absent-mindedly flipping over another photograph. Dan just made a noise of discontent. "He does try Dan" she noted, not missing the other man's malcontent.

"Yeah...course he does, Chlo", Dan replied, almost doing her trick of rolling his eyes.

Chloe just glared at him. Despite the image that he portrayed she was starting to see another side of Lucifer and one that, when he actually knuckled down, had been of immense help to her. "Have you tried this Joe Ferguson?" she asked, trying to divert him away.

Dan nodded. "Do you know how many Joseph and Joe Ferguson's there are in LA alone?"

Chloe laughed and briefly caught his eye as she carried on looking, searching in the paperwork. "I can imagine".

"Accountants, Solicitors, real estate agents, traders, computer techs, marriage guidance counsellors..." His words dissolved into a laugh too, but he saw a moment of recognition walk its way across Chloe's face as her head snapped up. "What?"

"Marriage guidance counsellors...Lizzie's husband...they said they went to a retreat to try and sort their relationship out just before she left him", she said, scrabbling through the photographs for her notes from that visit. She pulled a piece of paper out for the name of that place._ Serenity._ Hunches sometimes were the best leads to follow.

"Its hardly a good advert for their services", Dan noted.

Quickly Chloe pulled the laptop closer to her and typed in 'Lake Casitas Serenity' and quickly looked down the list of hits before clicking on a particular page. "Look at this" she said turning the laptop around to Dan.

The screen was filled with a garish purple website for 'Serenity : The Key to your Future Life'. It was filled with twee, saccharine photograph of couples walking hand in hand on the beach, through the forest or looking deep in thought. "Looks..." he struggled for the words. "Interesting".

"Look at the bottom of the page" she said.

He scrolled down and read out what he saw_. 'Your Head Counsellor and Owner Jo hopes your stay at Serenity will be peaceful, enhancing and will lead you and your Holy Union unto God's Light'. _"Its J-O though. Not Joe or Joseph" Dan continued. "Sounds more like woman or, someone trying to cover up he's actually a man" he observed.

"I wonder if Rogers might arrange for us to get in there. Undercover?" Chloe wondered seeing Dan immediately shaking his head. He almost did not even have to speak for her to know what he was thinking. "Yeah, you're right" she carried on. "Flimsy evidence. He won't go with it. We just need to get something more substantial. Can you look further into Serenity and see if it is Ferguson? See what you can come up with" she asked. He was still her subordinate but she sincerely hoped for not very much longer. He was too good to be taking orders.

Dan smiled. "For you, anything"

Chloe returned his smile. Just as he was about to get up, Lucifer walked in the door with his usual swagger. "Oh dear, Detective Douche, leaving already? I was hoping for a threesome to kick-start the day". He knew he was winding Dan up, and Chloe just gritted her teeth as he swung around the table to sit next to his particular Detective. "Sit, Daniel, do. I have some news that might be of interest". He sounded very proud of himself and Chloe part dreaded what was to come.

"So?" Dan replied, eyebrows raised and waiting for it. Whatever 'it' might be.

"Yes. My errand". He pulled the second evidence bag with the diamond from Lizzie's stomach in from his pocket and slid into the seat next to Chloe, practically clouding her space. "Saul says..."

"Saul?" Dan questioned although it was clear that she recognised the name. He certainly didn't.

"My friendly neighborhood jeweller" Lucifer replied tersely, looking back and conversing with Chloe alone lowering his voice, engaging completely with her as he held the evidence bag in his hands. He was almost too close to her and Dan could feel his blood starting to simmer from his place across the table. "He says it is likely from the same source as the one found with Lady Jane".

"Good" Chloe responded, pulling the laptop back towards herself. "And that.." she said, tapping the screen with her finger nail. "Might be the pimp".

Lucifer frowned. "Pimp to marriage counsellor? That's an alternative career move if ever there was one" he responded. Devil to club owner didn't seem such a leap now after all.

"Dan can you find out more about Serenity for me as quick as you can?" She knew she had already asked him but she needed him to get onto it quick smart.

"Course" he smiled, scooping up the paperwork from the table and left them to it. In truth he would rather have been out of there. Chloe had once looked at him like she was just doing towards a man he considered truly dangerous and incredibly untrustworthy. Wide eyed with just a hint of being just about to jump his bones. If he could see it, then God knows who else in the station could.

"Lucifer?" she asked turning to him, book marking the website.

"Yes my darling?" he asked, the stone going back on the table. Maybe Dan was right on the unprofessional front. Even though she preferred him to call her by her given name, it was almost as though 'Detective' was his pet name for her now so when it was 'darling' she was slightly taken aback. He seemed to be in a particularly jovial mood today and if they were not in this boardroom, it might have been catching.

"How..." she starting, needing to find the right word and squinting at him, hands clasped one her knee. She could not help but notice now how close he was actually sitting to her. "How _legitimate_ is Mr Eisen?"

Lucifer cocked his head to one side and frowned. "Do you doubt me Detective?" She shook her head, but had not helped but hear the comments about him and how utterly unsuitable he was for working for the LAPD or for being her...being what exactly? The drinking, the drug taking, how on earth he got that much money to own that entire building above Lux. The fact that only she knew - or thought she was the only one that knew - that he had only been officially on public record for seven years now. Of course she knew why. "He is the most law abiding, straightest person I know...besides you of course Detective", he smiled entirely genuinely and interrupting her stream of thoughts.

"Well then" she responded. He actually looked as though he was answering her question seriously. "Right, lets see what other bright ideas we can come up with". She was about to take up the photographs again when Dan reappeared almost skidding across the room in urgency.

"Another one" he said as the file skittered across the table to her. He nodded gravely at the shock clearly written on her face. "Slap bang on Venice Beach".

"**On** the beach?

"On the beach. Just by the drum circle", Dan responded, having already read the file when Rogers presented it to him with a missive that was to find Detective Decker 'yesterday'. "Whoever it is seems to be getting bolder. It's creeping closer to town by the day and in to more open spaces, more public spaces..."

"Catherine Chapman. Katie. 19. Psychiatry student from Bel Air. Wow, some money there" Chloe read, briefly scanning the first page in the file. "Clean record. Injuries?"

"Virtually identical. Rogers wants us into a meeting before we got out to see the family. Uniform have already been out" Dan replied, conscious that he was waiting for them in his office.

"Wait..." Chloe said, hesitating before she got up. "She was found at ten last night"

"Yeah"

"So why are we only hearing about it over 12, 15 in fact, hours later, then?" Lucifer asked. He took the words straight out of his partner's mouth.

"Rogers wanted to see what the post mortem said" Dan responded. "If we do have a serial killer on our hands we need to go full throttle with the public; have a plan in place". Chloe nodded. All they needed was fear to spread; particularly as this was on the beach. On the _beach_ of all places. "And there's another thing" Dan said. A cold sweat had washed over him the moment he read the file. "She worked as a student counsellor at Serenity for the last two summers".

"Shit..." Chloe hardly ever swore, but now was the time it seemed. Even Lucifer felt his heart drop.

As they walked to Rogers office Chloe flipped through the photographs, the last one caused her to stop in her tracks and equally caused Lucifer to slam straight into her back with an apology on his lips. She could live with seeing the poor womans gored body, skin stripped, flesh exposed, but this last photograph? Her hands. Untouched. Again. The finger on her left hand was the one that caught her atttention. A diamond. Blue and staring at her in all its glory.

She felt sick.


	9. Chapter 9

**Apologies for taking so long to update this one again...managed to delete this chapter by accident so have had to re-write :)**

The meeting room was tense.

Whilst each and every person in that room had investigated more homicides than anyone else between them, the fact that they clearly had a serial killer on the loose now made them antsy. The fact that their public relations team were lingering added to that sense of foreboding and the group of officers sat and waited.

"Now" Lt Rogers announced at he sat at the head of the table, a cacophony of paperwork laid out before him. "As you all know we have the makings of a serial killer with the last body only being found a few hours ago. Each of you will appreciate that one thing we must do is act quickly, concisely and in every way possible to prevent alarm and protect the public. Whilst our first two victims seem to have dubious pasts, the last one this morning however was a young lady with no history of note so we cannot discount anything or anybody". He paused for breath taking in the serious demeanours of his officers. "I fear he or she may be getting more confident. The sites are more public now and that is concerning as to how bold our murderer has become. We have gone from wasteland, to a shopping area and now to the beach". Rogers leant forward on the table, hands clasped together.

"Decker, I have been made aware of some interesting information overnight regarding these young ladies and today I understand there has been more?" he asked, looking to where Chloe was seated on the other end of the table.

"Yes Sir" Chloe began, clearing her throat to address the rest of the room, stealing a quick glance at Dan for support. "I think – we think – that there is a connection to a marital counselling retreat called Serenity and the fact that we have them all... " She was about to mention the blue diamonds but her senior interrupted her.

"Serenity is only linked to two; the latter two, Decker" Rogers pointed out, looking her over cynically.

"I know but..." Chloe started again, resisting a need to bite back before Dan interjected. He too had picked up Rogers slightly icy attitude to the female detective and old protective instincts arose of his wife. He truly thought they were onto something.

"We think that it may be worthwhile looking deeper into Serenity" Dan offered, pushing another piece of paper towards their boss. "The head counsellor there is called Jo and a Joseph Ferguson is connected to the first deceased as well according to her sister. I had quick look deeper into the website and one of the reviews refers to the counseller as Jo F. The second deceased had counselling there and the third worked there". He looked at Chloe briefly, trying to convey his support and she readily recognised it. "I had a look and there is another intake starting a week on Sunday. Now if we can get in...".

Rogers slid the printout of the website over the table and read carefully. "I see your point and is in fact it all we have. I will find some costings for a operation. You and Decker can go in". Chloe resisted saying anything. She was fairly sure that if she had suggested it, it would have been refused but she was pleased underneath it all that it was even being considered.

"We can't, not both of us" Dan interjected flashing another glance at her. "Our daughter is..."

"Well find someone to care for her, Espinoza" Rogers interjected with some annoyance. "It was your suggestion after all so I would propose you find an answer to the problem! Between you and your ex-wife I am sure you can think of something!".

By the time they made it back to Chloe's desk, she sat down with a thud, annoyed at Rogers and to be fair Dan was too. "So suggestions?" she asked her ex-husband as he landed in the seat opposite her. She should be grateful really that he got them in there without much of a fight but Rogers was really starting to get on her tits.

"Your mother?" Dan offered with a shrug except Chloe just laughed at him as she sunk into her seat. "Well she can't go to mine" he continued. "She has school to go to and I don't think my Dad would appreciate the 300 mile round trip a day".

Chloe signed and pressed her palms to her eyes. They had never actually been asked to go under cover together before so this was new. "Maze might be alright for a few days" she suggested, seeing look of death pass over Dan's face. "She does care for her, Dan and she has got her to school before, fed her". Too many times if Chloe's guilty heart were to be consulted but there was really no-one else who seemed capable and who, most of all, Chloe trusted with her child.

"Neighbours?" Dan suggested.

"No Dan" she replied, "You know Mrs Lawson thinks I am terrible mother for being a cop and the one the other side won't even say hello to us", Chloe offered, still no help and not that she would let either of them care for her daughter anyway, even for a few hours let alone a week.

Dan sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maze it is then. If she will..."

Chloe picked up her cell and rang the number, getting it over with now. "Sorry Decker..." she heard when she asked the question. The reception was questionable at best and the other woman's voice crackled and dropped before she reappeared on the line. "No can do...Venezeula...Bounty h..." The cell then cut out and when Chloe tried again the line was dead.

She put the cell back face down on her desk in a fit of frustration and shook her head at her ex-husband. Then a thought struck. "What if...What if me and Lucifer went to Serenity? You keep constantly telling me he can charm the birds out of the trees. He could be useful if he can get under their skin". He also had his little trick with locks and Chloe was still sorely tempted to ask him how he did it. A supernatural lock-picker could be ideal if you are trying to rummage around for that one of evidence. Dan however was not pleased.

"No Chlo" he replied, leaning closer to her over her desk so he could speak in a whisper. "I don't trust him with you. You know that".

"Dan I am a grown woman" she responded, half touched that he still cared enough about her, but equally she was perfectly capable of handling her partner even more so now they were growing beyond just colleagues.

"No" Dan responded, shaking his head. "You have seen how much he drinks. We could probably arrest him ten times over for possession..." He leant over. "I don't want him sharing a bed with you..."

Chloe sighed. "We won't be. I will make sure of that". Despite their new closeness, even sharing a bed as friends was off the menu. If only because she knew full well where it would end up and thar would be too premature. Best just nip that in the bud before it started. "I know you don't trust him but when has he harmed me? I mean really, truly harmed me?" Dan looked down. He had answers to that but he knew that Chloe would not accept them. "Do you trust me?" she asked directly.

"Of course" he replied, a look on his face that told her he thought it was a stupid question.

"Then whatever you think of Lucifer, know that I am capable of taking care of myself" she insisted. "Besides if something was to happen to us both on a job, if both of us got hurt for any reason, where would Trixie be then?" It was something that neither of them liked to think about, but it was a fact of both of the Detective's lives. "The only alternative is him looking after Trixie and I don't think a night club is the right place for her". She knew he would probably do it if pushed and if anything her daughter would probably be looking after him rather than the other way around. Chloe knew it was probably slightly unfair on Dan but, without giving too much away, Lucifer could well be their secret weapon in catching whoever this was.

Dan frowned and dropped his head. She had a point. "Alright" he replied, his voice heavy. "I suppose it** is** better than him looking after Trixie and I can work here on the ground if you have information to pass on. I'll speak to Rogers". He got up with a half smile determined that if Rogers was happy with the plan Dan would be having words with their effervescent consultant before he even dared to set foot in Serenity with Chloe. With that though he was gone; Chloe not missing up until that point that her partner had disappeared after the meeting.

Two hours later her and Lucifer's new identity landed on Chloe's desk. She had not seen him since the meeting where he had sloped off somewhere but as she opened up the file, as if by magic, he reappeared. "So when we do go on our romantic weekend then?" he asked sliding smoothly into the seat that Dan had vacated not so long ago and wearing a smile that suggested he was pleased to be teasing her. He received what he could only describe as a death stare in response.

"It's not a romantic weekend Lucifer. We have work to do and it's a week". She did wonder for a moment how he knew but let it go as she flipped open the file before he whipped it away from her sight. Chloe was about to tell him off for interfering, yet again, when he began reading the first few lines out loud.

"Samuel and Jane Matthews. Live in Pasedena. Married 23 September 2015. We've only been married four years and we are already in trouble?" he asked his voice full of incredulity. "You humans truly don't like each other do you? Let me think...it was a Vegas wedding, no? Probably after consumption of too much alcohol or psychoactive substances that one of us at least had no idea what we were doing".

"Lucifer..." she warned, not wanting to tell him he was being annoying, but he was being_ annoying! _

"Sorry, _Jane", _Lucifer replied as he picked up a duplicate sheet from the file and passed it to her. It was all of their 'marital history' and it all looked rather standard, and indeed quite boring to his eyes anyway. The less to remember and get wrong though.

"Read it, memorize it. We can't mess this up", she pleaded.

Lucifer nodded, a serious look on his face as he perused the paper for barely a few seconds."Done"

"Done?" she enquired. The devil is a speed-reader? He simply nodded and sat back in his chair. "Lucifer" she said, reaching across the desk and placing her hand on top of his. "Please, just this once, for me, don't mess around or be foolish. This is important, because if we screw this up..."

"Detective" he whispered, taking up her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles; not perturbed when she almost snatched it away again. Who knows who might be looking. "For you I will take this just as seriously as the situation requires". Chloe smiled. She actually believed him if that look on his face was anything to go by.

"My apologies, Samuel..." she smiled, going to read over the notes.

"Sam" he replied with some speed, his voice grave and he was almost speaking through gritted teeth. "If we are going to have to use it, I would prefer Sam".

Chloe breathed as soon as she realised. "I'm sorry" she started, taking up his hand again. She should have realised the moment she read the papers. "We could use something entirely different and I won't call you it when its just you and me" she offered eyes imploring him. "I'll just be careful"

"No" he replied, shaking his head. "It is my name after all. At least if you yelled it in a fit of passion I'd respond it". He slowly raised an eyebrow at her and Chloe tutted, resisting rolling her eyes.

One of these days they were going to get whiplash.


	10. Chapter 10

Their new home sat on the edge of Lake Casitas, a vast expanse of water surrounded by mountains and trees. It was quite idyllic in its peace and even thought they had arrived on Sunday night under the cover of dusk, what little they could see was beautiful. Behind the cottage a small patch of land led down to the water's edge and it glistened in the closing of the day; a reward after a long and painful drive. They should have been there hours ago; getting stuck on Route 101 for almost 2 hours before they had even reached Thousand Oaks because some 'bloody genius' as Lucifer had described them, decided to have a collision.

Check-in had been smooth but the pretence of Mr & Mrs Matthews dropped the moment they keys went into the door of the cottage.

"I need a drink" Lucifer offered, scouting around for anything that looked like a drinks cabinet but he found nothing. The kitchen, a small offering to the back of the cottage was also devoid of alcohol to his grave disappointment. As Chloe popped open her suitcase Lucifer returned looking disgruntled and slumped down on a two seater settee that rested underneath the window.

Carefully Chloe, noticing it for the first time, took up a list that was placed on the bed entitled 'House Rules'. She presented the sheet to him. He could see easily from where he was sitting the title with its screaming black letters. "House Rules?" he mocked, unafraid to let her hear the derision in his voice. "Who do they think they are?" He only adhered to the beat of his own drum and maybe the Detective's from time to time.

"We have to comply" she pleaded, sitting down on the end of the bed. "We don't want to look out of place or attract attention to ourselves, Lucifer. We can't afford to do that".

Lucifer sighed. "Go on then, what do I have to not do?" he said getting up nosing around the fixtures and fittings again, opening drawers to find them mostly empty as he skulked around like a bored teenager.

"No Smoking, no alcohol, no loud music..." Chloe began, scanning the list. Even she felt the 'Rules' were a little heavy but needs must if they were not going to reveal themselves.

"Well that's me proverbially screwed", Lucifer replied opening up the wardrobes now and running a finger along the empty hangers as they clanged together. Chloe breathed carefully, collecting herself as he continued to prowl. How she would get through this week of sharing this cottage with him she would never know. She straightened her shoulders, deciding not to watch him wander about and carried on reciting from the list.

"Breakfast at 8am prompt, attend all counselling sessions that you are required to do so, meetings, one to ones, group sessions, no swearing in public, no loud or public sexual intercourse...Seriously?!" she exclaimed, Lucifer looking at her with some surprise. "I get the public bit but the loud bit?!" Her mouth had run away with her and he spun around to face her properly, a spirited and mischievous look on his face.

"Oooh, something that is in my interest to know Detective?!" Lucifer teased, seeing her go redder as each second passed, licking her lips and hoping it didn't give him the utterly wrong message. "So tell me, if I press all of the right buttons as it where you might risk breaking that rule? What do I have on my hands then in this long week?"

"You have nothing Lucifer" she replied, her face as straight and as dead as her embarrassment could offer her as he continued to walk around, opening up cupboard doors. The banging and crashing about was starting to irritate her even more. "Stop trashing the place!"

Lucifer just tutted and slung himself on the bed behind her. "Toss me for it?" he suggested, gesturing royally along the sheets with his hand.

Chloe turned and eyed him suspiciously. "That has nothing to do with coins does it?" She hated the slang he used all the time. She could never work out whether he was being serious or not.

"It might" he smiled, he said lying on his back, ankles crossed and resting his intertwined fingers on his abdomen. "But, no I will be the gentleman _for now_ and sleep on that settee". In just once glance Chloe could tell it was a sofa bed and was silently pleased that he was prepared to at least pretend not to wreck the entirety of this thing. She could still have to be on guard for every word that came out of his mouth though.

That evening there was nothing in their diary so after a quick dinner they retreated to the cottage. A few quiet questions to the other couples they had been introduced to rendered very little by way of what anyone knew of Joseph Ferguson - it would seem that all of the couple there were newbies. So, instead, the pair retired with very little to report to Dan; in fact a text from Chloe was all it took. The hot weather seemed to have finally broken too and as he went to unlock the door to the cottage, Lucifer could see Chloe was rubbing her arms. "I know something that can solve that" Lucifer replied, standing close. Chloe simply made a suspicious noise in response. "No" he replied, handing her key to the cottage. "You can put that dirty mind of yours safely back where it belongs. I will be back shortly". With that he was gone.

Chloe turned the key in her hand, about to open the door when movement caught her eye over by the next door neighbour's. They weren't the residents - they had met Donald and Angela over dinner. These were two men she did not recognise and one had flicked on a torch. Had they just been checking the doors? Did she actually seen them try the handle or was it her imagination? "Good evening" she smiled, probably too nicely and too loudly at the two men, making it known she had seen them. At worst they were the resident security, surely?

"Evening Miss", one replied and, once she had locked the door firmly behind herself, through the net curtains she watched them as they walked away, quickly scribbling down a description of them before her memory failed her. You never know or maybe being a homicide detective had made her paranoid.

An hour later Chloe was sitting on a mountain of cushions in front of a roaring real fire, a bottle of very expensive red going to down very nicely between her and Lucifer. Chloe did not ask where he had been or where he had got the wine from although he would have freely offered up that he had been back to Lux and 'wings were wonderful things'. Breaking the rules and they had only been there less than twenty four hours. He would be the death of her.

"Lucifer..." she asked fuelled by the wine they were consuming, turning the stem of the glass between her fingers watching the rich red liquid whirlpool she was creating.

"Yes my darling?" Lucifer responded. His voice was sleepy; eyes shutting. He had experimented with no sleep, finding he could survive on little, but there was something pleasurable in shutting one's eyes and waking rested. Around her, he had found, that aside from pain, he could feel tired, he could feel drunk although he was nowhere near that tonight. It would take a good few more bottles of Chateau Lafite to do that and more besides.

Chloe frowned before she answered. He was looking up at her from where he had slid comfortably down the cushions. It was a strange juxtaposition of her power over him and she almost could not speak. They were getting closer, that was undeniable. Their working partnership was tighter than ever even if she did have to tell him off every so often, and as for anything else Chloe was not trying to describe it to herself. The room was warm, glowing and she felt so safe with him. Supposedly dangerous, supposedly evil and she felt so secure in his presence that it took a good few seconds for her to break away from his brown eyes.

"No it doesn't matter", she replied, taking another sip of wine. _He doesn't look like the Devil; relaxed, sans shoes and stretched out in front of a fire, but then what is the Devil supposed to look like? Certainly not a dark eyed, dark haired 6 foot something or other lump of muscle. _He sat up a little.

"It does matter. You want something" Lucifer replied, searching her face for an answer.

"You might not like it" Chloe replied, hesitating and still mesmermised by the swirling of her wine in its glass cage.

He smiled lecherously. "I'm open to trying everything once. You should know that by now, Detective. So try me". He put his glass down on the stone edge of the hearth.

Chloe swallowed and steeled herself. "We are getting closer aren't we?" she asked, seeing him nod as he settled back close to her, still lying lower than her in an almost supplicant position. "I know you want us to be more than friends and colleagues and I have after all, admitted that I loved you." She paused. "Love you".

"and I you Detective..." he responded, resting a palm on her knee now, hoping she believed him.

"But we seem to have stalled" she offered up, carefully watching her own hands as they flexed around the glass as he sat up a little further.

"Detective" he said, taking the glass off her because she might just say something she would deeply regret if she drank any more; either that or drown him in it if he said something she deemed inappropriate. He put the glass beside his. "I know this is the wine talking, but you and I are close, except not close".

Chloe's face crumpled. Yes alright she had had a glass or two of wine, but it was the only way she could say it. "Why not? Why aren't we close?"

He breathed in carefully. "Because I am the Devil, you are...you are uptight and have a stick up your arse about being loved, lusted after, and I mean _lusted_ after to the point its almost_ painful._ You don't think you can be desired because you don't think you are worthy of it and that is what is stopped you. Letting go is what is stopping you".

Chloe laughed, but her eyes dropped to the floor. "I can always rely on you for the truth. But your right..." she sighed. "All of that is true". She shifted again, moving to face him. "When...when you showed me your..." She waved her hand vaguely in front of him. "Could..." she hesitated, throat drying. "Could you show me again?" Lucifer breathed in and out. "I mean I know you can't just take it out of your pocket and put it on like a mask" she continued, obviously floundering, "and...well just say no and I'll shut up and not be so stupid to ask again".

He sat properly this time, cross legged and facing her, ignoring the fact she was babbling. Hands in his lap, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not saying a word. For a moment she saw the skin on his cheeks darken and almost immediately fade back again. Lucifer opened his eyes. "Patience", he whispered. He closed his eyes again, breathing steadily as she sat opposite him in curious, anxious expectation. His cheeks darkened again, then his chin but again a second later, his skin was back to normal. "I think I must be constipated", he muttered.

Chloe giggled, putting her hands over her mouth. "Does that often happen?"

"It happens when I control it" he replied, eyes flashing red for a split second as he was clearly teasing her.

"You pig!" she responded, smacking him on the shoulder. "You can control it?"

"I can, but you are so nervous Detective" Lucifer replied, shaking his head, taking up her right hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. "I can feel it seeping off you...Call it trying to calm you down"

She smiled at his unexpected thoughtfullness. "Just... please". Ever so slowly she saw his skin darken, eyes redden again and before her eyes the hand that was holding onto hers turned slowly knarled and red; such a deep contrast to her own pale skin. Chloe watched carefully as he transformed in front of her although there was no trace of any form of anger, evil or anything but... was that adoration as he raised his eyes reverently to her?

"Can I touch?" she asked. Her voice was tiny, timid.

Lucifer closed his eyes and nodded. Chloe was a friend, maybe a few steps closer to being a lover after tonight, but certainly nobody, nobody had touched him the way she was about to with all the glory of Satan revealed. Even when Eve had kissed him it was still not the same. He felt a fingertip whisper on his jaw, so barely there, underneath the scars he could hardly feel it. A more confident palm rested over his cheek, her thumb just under his eye. People being gentle with him was a new thing to the Devil and his heart was skipping in such an erratic rhythm that he thought was about to pass out.

To her, oddly, it felt like a mask. Thick, gnarled scars and she leant across and kissed him on the other cheek, just lightly. He did not react. "Lucifer?" She saw him swallow, before her lips met his, just a gentle pressure on his where she lingered for a few seconds before moving away. "I'm sorry". Chloe whispered ducking her head down, leaving her palm were it was.

"What are you sorry for?" Lucifer asked. She could feel his warmth breath punctuate each word as his jaw moved under her hand.

"I should never have done that" she whispered in response, feeling ashamed yet equallly internally denying the words that were coming of her mouth.

"Why did you do that then?" Lucifer enquired, the hand on his cheek burning still as hot as anything he had felt before in his long and eternal life.

"Because I accept you Luciferb and I want you to know that. I know what you are and I know who you are. They are two different things" she concluded, eyes wandering still over the red and painful looking tissue. He did not react as though he was in pain, and it was almost as though he could read her mind.

"I" he started. "Like this, it is as though my senses are dulled...Can I put it away now?"

Chloe sniggered and removed her hand. "You can do that?"

A second later, the Lucifer she was more familiar with was sitting across from her, a unsure look still present on his features. She shuffled across, placing her palm where it had been only a short time before. He felt her kiss his other cheek. "Will you sleep in the bed tonight?" she asked, trying not to make it sound like an invitation of the intimate kind.

"Oh?" Lucifer replied, eyes wide and lascivious grin on his face again.

"Don't be lewd" she responded, laughing and shaking her head. "When you went to wherever you went before before before there were to men wandering around. I saw them checking the doors with a torch. If they see you on the sofa bed...We can't be too careful. We can't blow this Lucifer".

"That is true" he was serious for a minute, biting back a quip. He was learning that there was a time and a place and disappointingly this was neither.

"In a w..." she replied quietly. The word 'way' was when she saw Lucifer put his finger to his lips to shush her. "What?" she whispered, leaning closer to him.

"Stay there" he said, equally as quietly before got carefully up from the floor and walked towards the door to the cottage. As she followed him, he stood just inside. A second later, the door handle moved. "You did say" he observed his voice even lower. She shot over to the window, gently pushing aside the net curtain an inch, half expecting to see a face staring back at her. Instead she saw nothing, apart from a figure walking away, the flash of a torch along the ground.

"Right" she said, going to pick up a wooden chair and shunting it under the door handle. "At least if someone tries to get in again, we'll hear them".

"That might not be too effective" he replied skeptically, adjusting it a touch so it was firmer.

"Well it will have to do", Chloe responded. "Now, I'm going to have a shower. Can you put the fire out?"

"I was rather thinking I might stoke it. At least tonight", Lucifer offered, watching her as she collected up toiletries that she had not managed to unpack yet.

"Jeez", Chloe muttered as she walked away. "You really take every opportunity, don't you?"

"Not all the time" he responded raising his voice as she closed the bathroom door. "You just have a filthy mind, _Jane_". This time he had genuinely been joking. He was not going to jump into bed with her quite yet.

Some things, like a fine wine, needed to be savoured and he intended to do just that.

A short while later, Chloe wandered back. The fire was out, the room was in darkness and she could see the outline of Lucifer's shoulders underneath the covers, his back to her. He was breathing steadily. She was about to climb in when a wash of panic ran from head to foot and she froze, one knee on the bed and the covers bundled up in her hand. She was dressed decently – a pair of long and incredibly baggy shorts and a vest top. She had half a mind he was naked just to wind her up.

Lucifer – who clearly hadn't been entirely asleep because he had felt her hesitate - turned on his back. "I am respectable, Detective." He pulled the covers down and twanged the elastic of a pair of red tartan pyjama pants. "I thought my usual silk might scare the neighbours". _And you for that._

She smiled. She'd admit she was wrong this time and slid into bed. For the first time today she positively relaxed.

"Goodnight Sam", she said, settling down.

"Nighty night, Jane", Lucifer replied, suppressing a laugh about to say something about bed bugs but something stopped him. _"Don't let the Devil bite"._


	11. Chapter 11

However many hours later it was, Chloe woke as the morning sunlight infiltrated the net curtains. Her eyes flickering open her first attention was on the door. The chair was still in place and she breathed a sigh of relief. Stretching her neck she tried to roll over but something was stopping her. A hand it was, just pressed flat into the small of her back. She shifted and it moved so she could turn properly towards the Devil who was sharing her bed. Oh my...He looked so peaceful, content.

"Lucifer?" she whispered, gently pushing his shoulder. "Lucifer?" She received a sleepy groan in response. "Lucifer...Come on, if we're late for breakfast they'll probably send out a search party if we don't show our faces", she pleaded.

"I'm not hungry", he muttered, shifting his shoulders, sounding thoroughly grumpy. Chloe smiled to herself. A grumpy, sleepy Devil was an eye opener.

"Come on" she said, going to move.

"Stay here" he suggested, a hand taking hold of her vest before she could shift any further. He was still clearly half asleep and not himself, even though he was pulling her back into bed. "It's not time to get up yet. It's only...far too early..."

Chloe gave in and lay down again, feeling him release her vest from his grip, resting on her back. Yes alright he was probably correct as she squinted at the clock on the far wall. She was too used to getting up to get Trixie to school and herself to work. "We have to think of a strategy for today", she started trying to engage with something otherwise she would be up, showered, dressed and ready before he had even contemplated the prospect. "We have that group session at eleven with someone called Cadence. Fake name if ever there was one..."

If Lucifer had his eyes open, he would have rolled them skywards. "I think", he began, tapping his right shoulder, "that you should just put your head here and we have another half an hours sleep".

"We can't. I can't" she replied, trying not to sound exasperated but he opened his eyes at last.

"Detective, I seem to recall that yesterday you kissed me. Not the other way around. I have lain in bed with you all night and did I try and shag you?"

"No you didn't" she sighed.

"So at least you could acquiesce to a little bodily contact first thing in the morning. Wakes a Devil up very well does that". She saw him smile and it took very little to persuade her. Chloe did want to be close to him and she hadn't woken up in the comfort of anyone's warm arms for a long time. "I rather think our relationship will become different Detective. If you wish it so".

Chloe frowned. She did wish it so - desperately; except she had tried this before, working and being in relationship with someone and look where that left her, even without the complication of his celestial nature. She crept across and slid into his side; his arm around her shoulders, first instinct to wrap a leg around his until she stopped herself. Carefully instead she rested her palm on his bare chest. "See I'm not the big bad wolf, Detective. I only bite when you beg me to..."

"I never said you were, but..." she began, ignoring the bit about biting before it gave her too many ideas. "We are meant to be a couple having marital problems".

"We could have a row if you want?" Lucifer suggested, far too casually. "Wake up the neighbours?"

"What I am saying is, if we are embarking on this, we need to be careful. If we are being watched..." she reminded him.

"I take your point. Should we schedule a few sharp words over breakfast or wait until we go and visit 'Cadence'? You could dig up your acting skills and burst into tears over the slightest hint of you imagining me looking at another woman perchance?"

"We have to take this seriously Lucifer!" she smiled, very tempted to just laugh, but tapping him on the chest all the same. "Maybe we should just go to breakfast, strike up a conversation, maybe those two who are next door again. They seemed friendly enough yesterday".

Chloe got a vague murmur of agreement from him."So, am I Devil-with-mojo or Devil-without-mojo this week?" he asked, eyes closing again and pulling her tighter.

Chloe pressed her lips together, distracted for a second by how warm he was. That was actually a good question. He could clear up all they needed to know in a couple of hours and it might be investigation wrapped up and done with. Him just going in there full tilt might just muck things up too. "How about you use your discretion?" she suggested, fingertips flexing, resisting the urge to start drawing patterns on his chest. Stop it. This is too intimate as it is.

Lucifer cracked an eye open. She was now looking up at him with her chin on his chest. "You...?" he started, hesitating. "You are actually saying I can..."

"Pick your moment yes", Chloe replied, nodding her head.

"Well I am impressed detective".

"No" she replied cautiously wondering if she was doing the right thing. "I want you to know I trust you to make the decision as you see fit".

Lucifer smiled, genuinely pleased that they seemed to have turned a corner in more ways that one. He turned his head and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on then Mrs Matthews", he started, "you can get that hot little body into the shower first...then let's go raise Hell at breakfast..."

"Lucifer" she warned as she wriggled out of his arms, wondering if she had gone too far out on that particular limb. All Chloe heard back as she moved towards the bathroom was a muffled 'Only joking 'tective. Only joking'

The room where breakfast was was a light airy place, with tables scattered and a seating plan pinned up on the wall. So they were not going to be able to speak to their neighbours; they were going to get whoever they got and that was so not what Chloe planned. Maybe revise the plan. As they walked, Lucifer resisted just gently guiding her over to their table, hand flexing over the base of her spine and then retreating. Any other time too Lucifer would have pulled the seat out for her, but this time he just left her to her own devices. For a brief second Chloe was peeved with him; until she remembered her own words.

_"__We are meant to be a couple having marital problems". _

Of course. If they were arguing would Sam come over all chivalrous to Jane and pull her chair out so they could take up a seat at the breakfast table? Course he wouldn't, so instead she shot him a dirty look and yanked the chair out herself, letting the rubber feet on the legs screech along the linoleum floor. The mousy woman who was already sitting at the table looked at Chloe sympathetically and there were a few other turned heads across the room at the loud noise; including Donald and Angela who they had met last night. A silent communication passed between Chloe and the other woman; a kind of 'yeah, been there girl' sort of look. Lucifer didn't notice and neither it seemed did the other man at the table either.

"I'm Jane" Chloe said quickly. "This is my husband Sam". Lucifer just gave a terse nod of the head to the pair as he sat, turning his shoulders slightly away from his 'wife'. "Sorry about him", Chloe whispered, a faux look of distress on her face as she deliberately added gasoline the fire. "He's in a bit of a, you know, _funny mood_ this morning".

Underneath the table, Lucifer felt Chloe dig her nails into his thigh. "Funny mood?" he replied, raising his eyebrows, realising that it must have been a cue. "Funny mood?" he repeated, swinging round to face his 'wife' properly. "You were the one that got us stuck in traffic on the way here deciding to 'take that left turn Sam'..." He quoted their apparent conversation in a whiny LA accented voice; a stark contrast to his normal deep British tones. "_Then_ you don't admit you were wrong! I told you the radio said there was an accident..."

There had been an accident on the 101 on the way in but they had been too busy chatting and laughing to hear the radio and by the time they realised, it was just too late.

"We talked about this..." Chloe replied, keeping her voice low, smiling awkwardly at the other pair at the table. The other man was barely taking notice. "Sorry" she whispered to the woman face cracking into an apparently embarrassed smile. "Sam, can we leave this alone please? We talked about this last night. We have company" Chloe continued through gritted teeth.

Lucifer cleared his throat. "I am ever so sorry" he responded sarcastically. "My manners must still be stuck in that traffic queue. Samuel Matthews..." he said reaching a hand across the table to the woman. "I prefer Sam. My wife you have clearly already met".

"Katherine Robinson" she said, stretching out a hand to both Chloe and Lucifer. "Call me Kate. This is my fiancé Tristan". The man put the breakfast menu down and not so very graciously took Lucifer's hand to shake.

"Fiance?" Lucifer asked. "You're not even married yet and you're in counselling?"

"Sam!" Chloe scolded until she felt his foot rest on top of hers and push down. Seems that was another signal that suddenly they seemed to have adopted without speaking about it first.

"No, Jane. It strikes me that...how old are you?" Lucifer asked, elbows on the table, leaning across.

"24" Kate responded. Chloe could see Kate was going starry eyed in front of him. Seems for the moment he was Devil-with-mojo whether he could help it or not.

"Someone as young as you, maybe shouldn't be thinking of getting married, particularly if you have to expose your differences to complete strangers before you even walk down the aisle. Tell me, do you think you are making a mistake?" Lucifer asked. The woman's face was red.

Chloe was about tell him off again when the otherwise silent Tristan piped up. "She knows what is good for her; _we both do_ and besides people tell me Joe's a miracle worker". Maybe he wasn't as disinterested as Chloe thought.

"Jo?" Chloe asked, feigning innocence. "You mean Joe Ferguson, the guy that runs this place?"

"Owns it" Kate piped up, plastering a smile on her face.

"So that is him?" Chloe questioned. "Only from the website it sounded like Jo was a woman".

"Nah" Tristan responded, folding the menu down . "Apparently he picks and chooses couples for his own personal therapy sessions. We're gonna try and get in there. He's almost famous apparently."

Chloe was smiling internally. Sometimes him going in feet first just worked and here they had it - confirmation that Jo was Joe Ferguson and she had Lucifer to thank for it.

Personal therapy sessions didn't sound too good though to Chloe as over her shoulder a small woman with a rather severe bowl haircut caught their attention. "Mr & Mrs Matthews, Miss Robinson and Mr Jackson? I'm Genevieve Wiltshire, facilities manager. If you need anything you are to come to me. Any concerns, accommodation issues, supplies..." She brushed far too close to Lucifer for Chloe's liking but it seemed to simply wash over him; the hand placed delicately on his shoulder did not though. Chloe couldn't be jealous, surely? "I am over in the offices by the gates to the camp so do not hesitate to run over". She left with a forced smile, undoubtedly a speech she knew off by heart as she moved from table to table but a lingering look to 'Sam'.

A serious of 'thank you's' followed and she left them be.

The rest of breakfast was just left casually observing everybody around them and just pretending to ignore each other, exchanging the odd press of the foot or tap on the knee as well as a few cross words for effect.

Ideally they could do with getting into that office by the gates. It must hold a wealth of information and it _must_ be their next port of call.


End file.
